Eric Garner chokehold: Civil rights probe into NY death

The US justice department is to launch a civil rights investigation into the death of Eric Garner, a black man who was placed in an apparent chokehold by a white New York police officer.
The inquiry was announced by Attorney General Eric Holder after a grand jury decided against charging the officer.

That decision prompted streets protests in New York. Activists have called for a march in Washington next week.

President Barack Obama said the case "speaks to larger issues".

The decision not to charge the officer came just a week after another grand jury, in the state of Missouri, decided not to charge a white police officer who shot and killed a black teenager.

The ruling into the death of Michael Brown in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson sparked riots and protests across the country.

This week, in light of the Ferguson protests, President Obama sought emergency funding to improve police training and to restore trust in policing.

Read more on BBCnews