Erica Garner, who became outspoken activist after her dad was police chokehold victim, has died

She became a well-known activist against police abuse after her dad's death.

ByABC News
December 30, 2017, 9:56 AM

— -- Erica Garner, who became a nationally-known activist against police abuse following her father's death after he was put in a police chokehold, has died following a recent heart attack, her official Twitter account confirmed.

PHOTO: Erica Garner, (R), campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders during a campaign event at University of South Carolina, Feb. 16, 2016 in Columbia, S.C.
Erica Garner, (R), daughter of Eric Garner who died after being put in a choke-hold by NYPD officers, campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders during a campaign event at University of South Carolina, Feb. 16, 2016 in Columbia, S.C.

Garner, 27, had been hospitalized following a heart attack on Dec. 24.

She "suffered major brain damage from a lack of oxygen while in cardiac arrest," a family member wrote on Erica Garner's verified Twitter page on Wednesday. "Please continue to pray hard for Erica and pray for her family and kids just as much."

Erica Garner became an activist after the death of her father, Eric Garner, in Staten Island, New York, in 2014. The elder Garner, 43, died after being put in a chokehold by New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo. Eric Garner had argued with officers upon being approached for suspicion of selling loose cigarettes.

PHOTO: Erica Garner attends a press conference held with her family members and the Reverend Al Sharpton on July 14, 2015 in New York City.
Erica Garner attends a press conference held with her family members and the Reverend Al Sharpton calling for further justice and legal action against the police officers responsible in the death of her father Eric Garner on July 14, 2015 in New York City. Garner died in July, 2014 when police subdued him with a chokehold under suspicion of selling loose cigarettes.

Chokeholds are prohibited by the NYPD, and a ruling by the New York City medical examiner found Eric Garner died due to "compression of neck (choke hold)." A grand jury in December 2014 decided not to press charges against Pantaleo. The city later settled with Garner's family for $5.9 million, WABC reported.

Her father's final words, "I can't breathe," were captured on cellphone video and became a rallying cry for protesters against police brutality.

PHOTO: Erica Garner leads a march of people protesting the Staten Island, New York grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer involved in the choke-hold death of her father Eric Garner in July, on Dec. 11, 2014.
Erica Garner leads a march of people protesting the Staten Island, New York grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer involved in the choke-hold death of her father Eric Garner in July, on Dec. 11, 2014 in the Staten Island borough of New York City.

Erica Garner became an outspoken activist. She also appeared in a campaign commercial for Sen. Bernie Sanders during his run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.

PHOTO: Erica Garner leads a march of people protesting the Staten Island, New York grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer involved in the choke-hold death of her father Eric Garner in July, on Dec. 11, 2014.
Erica Garner leads a march of people protesting the Staten Island, New York grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer involved in the choke-hold death of her father Eric Garner in July, on Dec. 11, 2014 in the Staten Island borough of New York.

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