The New York Medical Examiner's autopsy report on Eric Garner released Friday said the manner of death was homicide.

"The autopsy revealed that Garner suffered "compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police," said Julie Bolcer, spokeswoman for the New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner, according to reports. Bolcer said that asthma and heart disease had also contributed to Garner's death.

Garner's wife told the New York Daily News, "Thank God the truth is finally out."

Garner, a father and grandfather from Staten Island, died while police officers tried to arrest him on July 17 for selling untaxed cigarettes. Police claimed at the time Garner died of a heart attack. Video of the incident, however, shows an officer putting him in a chokehold from behind as other officers pile on. Garner can be heard saying, "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"

The NYPD 2013 Patrolman's Guide bans the use of chokeholds. Two officers have been assigned to desk duty pending the investigation, and four EMTs have been suspended without pay. Noel Leader, co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, asked at press conference on Wednesday why the officers also weren't suspended.

The New York Black, Latino and Asian Caucus said they wanted a quick investigation and resolution, within months, not several years, and some have said this will be a litmus test for the de Blasio administration.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday thanked the medical examiner for its expedited review.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Eric Garner, on this day we have received the Medical Examiner's findings concerning the cause of his death. My administration will continue to work with all involved authorities, including the Richmond County District Attorney, to ensure a fair and justified outcome," de Blasio said in a statement.

"We all have a responsibility to work together to heal the wounds from decades of mistrust and create a culture where the police department and the communities they protect respect each other -- and that's a responsibility that Commissioner Bratton and I take very seriously. I've said that we would make change, and we will. As mayor, I remain absolutely committed to ensuring that the proper reforms are enacted to ensure that this won't happen again."

Community activists have been speaking out about the death of Eric Garner, and other video evidence has surfaced of similar chokeholds being used. The activists are calling for Commissioner Bratton to step down and an end to his so-called "broken windows" policing. According to the theory, broken windows in a neighborhood are symptoms of petty crime, and if police do not intervene to aggressively prevent them, crime will escalate.

It was this theory that Bratton put into practice when he became NYPD Commissioner under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. It led to zero-tolerance policies for petty offenses and the implementation of the "stop-and-frisk" practice of physical searches of people with little to no probable cause. Arrests for panhandling, turnstile jumping and vandalism increased, as did complaints of police brutality.

David Galarza from the Justice Committee of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights told Latin Post little has changed to improve the way NYPD interacts with the city's communities of color.

"To know that Garner died very much the same way Anthony Baez died some 20 years ago when Bill Bratton was also the Police Commissioner of NYPD. It is like history repeats itself in the most heinous, disgusting, despicable ways," Galarza said.

"To think that Bill de Blasio's first appointment was Bill Bratton, we knew we were walking down the wrong path. Communities of color screamed out this not the wisest appointment at the time, and he still went ahead with it anyway, and see what happens six, seven months later, the killing of an innocent man because of a minor infraction. He's gotta go, Bratton's got to go."

The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association offered condolences to Garner's family but also said he was partly responsible for his death.

"The ME's report indicates that Mr. Garner was a man with serious health problems, so there will have to be a complete and thorough analysis of all the factors that played a part in the tragedy. We believe, however, that if he had not resisted the lawful order of the police officers placing him under arrest, this tragedy would not have occurred," PBA President Pat Lynch said in a statement.