The grand jury began deliberations on Monday on whether there should be criminal charges in the case of an African-American who died while being arrested by New York police officers, according to union officials.

Eric Garner died July 17 in Staten Island shortly after being placed in a chokehold while being arrested for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes. Cell phone video of the incident went viral, showing Eric Garner telling officers 11 times, "I can't breathe. I can't breathe."

The jury's investigation come five weeks after the medical examiner found the banned chokehold used by Officer Daniel Pantaleo contributed to Garner's death on State Island on July 17, and ruled the death a homicide.

Chokeholds are banned under the NYPD Patrol Guide, although they are not illegal under state law.

Pantaleo's lawyer told The Associated Press he expects it will take the grand jury at least a month for the panel to reach a decision, and said his client denies any wrongdoing. 

"I don't trust this case in the hands of Dan Donovan [Staten Island District Attorney]. Dan Donovan is endorsed by the police union, he's very close to many of the police officers in Staten Island, and I think we are making a mistake by assuming he is going to do a good job presenting this case. And I fear, once again, a group of police officers are going to get away with what at least amounts to manslaughter, or second degree homicide, for the reckless disregard for a person's life and causing them to die."

READ MORE: Staten Island DA to convene grand jury in Eric Garner chokehold death case

Garner's death was followed by another death of an African-American in a Walmart in Ohio where police officers shot John Crawford III when a 911 call said Crawford was waving a gun at customers. A grand jury decided not to indict the white police officers, but a surveillance video that surfaced after the decision showed that, contrary to police reports that they told the man to drop this gun, it seems as if they shot Crawford first. The Justice Department said it will investigate the case to see whether police violated the civil rights of Crawford.

On Aug. 9, African-American teenager, Michael Brown, from Ferguson, St. Louis County, was shot dead by a white police officer in an incident that led to weeks of protests for an end to police brutality and the need for accountability. A grand jury has also begun deciding whether to indict in that case. The Justice Department has said it is conducting its own investigation into whether Brown's civil rights were violated.