In a statement on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the murder of Jordan Neely by a fellow subway passenger “a tragedy that never should have happened” and vowed to do more to support those going through mental health crises.
Adams, a former police officer who received criticism for his initial restrained response to Neely’s murder, expressed his sympathy for Jordan’s family, who were “suffering great pain and uncertainty about the circumstances of his death.”
Neely passed away on May 1 as U.S. He was put in a chokehold on a Manhattan subway train by former Marine Dani Penny.
The city outreach workers assisting homeless individuals suffering from mental illness were familiar with the 30-year-old Neely, a former Michael Jackson lookalike.
When Penny pulled Neely to the floor and pinned him, a freelance journalist who had videotaped Neely’s last moments claimed that Neely had been yelling at other passengers but hadn’t attacked anyone.
Two additional subway passengers can be seen holding Neely down in the footage. Throughout the scuffle, Neely lost consciousness, and a hospital coroner declared him dead.
The medical examiner’s office determined that Neely died in a homicide brought on by neck compression, but it claimed the judicial system would decide who was criminally responsible.
Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, has pledged a comprehensive inquiry. Last Monday, Penny, 24, claimed via his attorneys that he was merely acting to defend himself after Neely made threats against him and other passengers.
Daniel’s attorneys, Thomas Kenniff and Steven Raiser argued that Daniel never wanted to hurt Mr. Neely and could not have predicted his premature demise.
Since Neely’s passing, protests have broken out, with people calling for Penny to be detained.
Some find similarities between Neely and Penny because Neely is Black and Penny is White. Bernhard Goetz was a white shooter convicted of a weapons charge after shooting four Black individuals on a subway train in 1984.
Adams’ initial response to the deadly incident was to refrain from criticizing Penny and to make a point about the rights of metro users to intervene in specific circumstances. After learning of Neely’s passing, Adams stated, “I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs where you had a passenger assisting someone.” This week,
Neely’s family criticized the mayor’s response in a statement.
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