Ex-Marine defends New York subway chokehold that killed homeless man
A
former Marine who choked a person to demise on a New York subway practice has stated he was appearing in self-defence.
Jordan Neely, 30, was tackled by fellow passengers after he screamed at them and paced backwards and forwards on board a practice on Monday evening.
Passenger Daniel Penny, 24, a US Marine Corps veteran, wrapped his arms round Mr Neely’s neck and head and held him for a number of minutes in a chokehold till he went limp.
Mr Penny was taken into custody however launched with out cost, pending additional investigation.
Mr Neely’s demise has now been dominated a murder brought on by compression of the neck.
The incident has sparked outrage in New York, the place Mr Neely was a Michael Jackson impersonator who repeatedly danced in Times Square.
In an announcement issued by his attorneys on Friday, Mr Penny expressed condolences to Mr Neely’s household.
“We would first, like to express, on behalf Daniel Penny, our condolences to those close to Mr Neely,” his attorneys stated in an announcement issued to US media.
The assertion provides that Mr Neely “had a documented history of violent and erratic behaviour” which was “the apparent result of ongoing, and untreated, mental illness”.
The attorneys added that he had been “aggressively threatening” their consumer and different passengers, and that Mr Penny and others “acted to protect themselves, until help arrived”.
“Daniel never intended to harm Mr Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death.”
Penny was a sergeant within the US Marines based mostly at Camp Lejune, North Carolina. He served till 2021.
A journalist on the practice, Juan Alberto Vazquez, filmed the harrowing scenes and stated Mr Neely had not attacked anybody.
Mr Neely reportedly shouted: “I don’t have food, I don’t have a drink, I’m fed up.”
Mr Penny approached him after he threw his jacket to the ground.
Activists have drawn parallels between Mr Neely’s demise and the passing of George Floyd.
Floyd died when police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020.
Footage of 46-year-old’s homicide, wherein he pleaded “I can’t breathe” sparked world protests.