The cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York City both involve an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer in a confrontation over a relatively minor crime. But there are sharp differences, too, in the circumstances of Brown's Aug. 9 killing and Garner's July 17 death.
• Video: No one recorded video of Brown's fatal encounter with Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Most of Garner's confrontation with Officer Daniel Pantaleo was recorded by a bystander. That video was given to a newspaper and posted online before the killing was even a day old, eliminating most of the mystery over the facts.
• Why they were stopped: Wilson initially stopped Brown to tell him to stop walking in the street. New York police were trying to arrest Garner on a charge of selling black-market cigarettes.
• Manner of death: Wilson fired 12 shots at Brown after a physical struggle. About half of those hit the teen. Witnesses disagreed on whether Brown was trying to surrender or charging the officer when the fatal shot was fired. Garner died from a compression of his neck and chest as officers were wrestling him to the ground after he refused to be handcuffed.
• Age: Brown was 18. Garner was 43. Brown's youth may have made him a more sympathetic figure in the eyes of some.
• Size: Garner stood at 6-foot-3 and weighed 350 pounds. Brown was 6-foot-5 and weighed 289 pounds. Their sizes may have led to a more aggressive police response.
• Reaction: A day after Garner's death, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the killing "troubling" and promised an investigation. Public protests were orderly and organized. In Ferguson, angry protests began almost immediately after the shooting. Police acknowledged no wrongdoing and were locked in confrontations with sometimes unruly demonstrators.
• Grand jury: The jury in Staten Island that considered Pantaleo's case heard testimony from 50 witnesses, including 22 civilians, and sat for nine weeks. The St. Louis County grand jury in Wilson's case heard from 60 witnesses over three months. Both officers testified voluntarily.