Erica Garner, the daughter of police chokehold victim Eric Garner, has passed away. She had been fighting for her life and in a coma since suffering a massive heart attack Dec. 24. She was 27.
Erica's official Twitter account had been posting updates on her progress and confirmed her passing Saturday morning.
She passed away this morning. The reports are real. We didn't deserve her.
When you report this you remember she was human: mother, daughter, sister, aunt. Her heart was bigger than the world. It really really was. She cared when most people wouldn't have. She was good. She only pursued right, no matter what. No one gave her justice.
Erica suffered a asthma attack that led to her going into cardiac arrest. She was listed in critical condition Sunday night.
She gave birth to a son—Eric, named after her father—in August and also leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter. Erica suffered her first heart attack shortly after her son's birth; doctors said the pregancy stressed her already enlarged heart.
Eric Garner became a symbol for victims of police brutality in 2014, inspiring the widespread "I Can't Breathe" slogan, which was spurred by Garner's final words as NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo choked him, a move prohibited by NYPD guidelines. Garner said the words 11 times before dying from the 15-19-second chokehold.
Garner was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes. A Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo. Pantaleo reportedly had 14 allegations of misconduct prior to the Garner incident.
After her father's passing, Erica dedicated her life to fighting police brutality.
"I've absolutely discovered what I want to do with my life," she told Elle in 2016. "Before, I was just kind of aimless, not sure what I was going to be doing. Now I know."
