New York City police are on the lookout for six protesters who may have halted train service on Saturday.
The family’s attorneys have dubbed Daniel Penny’s recent statements concerning Jordan Neely’s murder in the subway a “character assassination.”
In a press release issued on Friday, Penny’s attorneys justified his actions on May 1 in New York City as self-defense. They also conveyed Penny’s regret to Neely’s loved ones.
On Monday, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards pushed back on behalf of Neely’s family.
“Daniel Penny’s press release does not apologize or show regret,” the attorneys stated. It smears his reputation and explains why he justified killing Jordan. What he did on the train and what he’s saying now conclusively prove he belongs in prison.
An unaffiliated videographer said that the fatal altercation began when Neely boarded a northbound F train acting erratically and threatening others.
Penny, who was 24 at the time, is shown on film dragging Neely to the ground and putting his head in a headlock, which ultimately results in Neely passing out and dying.
When Neely “intentionally wrapped his arms around Jordan’s neck and squeezed and squeezed and squeezed,” Mills and Edwards emphasized, Penny did not know Neely’s mental health history.
Penny’s attorneys, Steven Raiser and Thomas Kenniff, made a statement on Friday saying that Neely “had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, which seemed to be caused by a long-term mental illness that was not being treated.”
Their case was that Penny and the other two passengers acted in self-defense to keep themselves safe until help arrived, and that they had no way of knowing that Neely would perish in the process.
According to Kaiser and Kenniff, local officials should take responsibility for failing to address the city’s mental health crisis.
The medical examiner for the city of Manhattan has ruled that Neely’s death was the result of a murder by crushing of the neck, and the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, has promised to investigate.
There have been rallies all across the city demanding that Penny be prosecuted with murder after the killing infuriated so many people. Penny has received support from many metro users who are fed up with the constant threat of violence.
Over the weekend, law enforcement officials detained 12 demonstrators on charges including resisting arrest, assault, and interference with a railroad.
Protesters at the Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station disrupted service for nearly half an hour at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, by marching and yelling on the rails.
The New York Police Department released photos of six persons they believe were engaged in the incident and may face criminal trespass charges. Suspects fled the site.
If you have any information, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, in Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).