New York mayor's 'peaceful protest' appeal over chokehold case

A grand jury in New York has declined to press criminal charges against a white police officer over the death of an unarmed black man he put into a chokehold - a practice banned by the New York police department.

The lawyer representing Eric Garner's family said he was ''astonished'' the grand jury had disregarded evidence of a video showing the chokehold, where Mr Garner, an asthmatic, is heard gasping that he cannot breathe.

The Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, said he hoped people expressed their views over the case in a constructive and peaceful way.