40-year-old Andrew Kearse can be heard uttering, “I can’t breathe” as his final moments are caught on tape. These were the exact words that were spoken by Eric Garner in 2014 while being held in a chokehold by Officer Pantaleo. Kearse’s death occurred in May 2017.
Kearse’s wife, Angelique Negroni-Kearse wants justice after having the unfortunate task of watching her husband’s demise on camera. “It was the most horrendous thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Negroni-Kearse informs the New York Daily News. “To see death on his face — it was horrible. To see him die is just horrible. Pleading and begging for his life … just begging for his life, and the officers just ignored him.”
Kearse was already on parole for a grand larceny charge; he was then pulled over for driving erratically in a separate incident. He fled on foot which prompted his arrest. One of the arresting officer’s is heard saying, “Is it hot?” “You probably shouldn’t run next time.”
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Kearse died later in an upstate hospital.
In November 2017, Negroni-Kearse filed a notice of claim to forewarn of her intention to file a $25-million-dollar lawsuit against Schenectady police in New York. Negroni-Kearse explained: “I want justice for Andrew and I want that cop to go to jail,” “You can hear my husband in distress. He was in the backseat, handcuffed, gasping for air.”
Kearse was a father of nine and had been married for ten years.
The incident can be heard here:
