Daniel Penny is a Marine veteran who was charged for manslaughter after he was caught on camera choking a Black man to death. He said that the encounter was not motivated by racial reasons and he’s not a racist.
Penny spoke with the New York Post about the incident that occurred on May 1. The video was captured in part on a cellphone on a northbound F Train. It showed Penny holding Neely (30) in a chokehold.
Penny, a 24-year-old woman who spoke to Argyle park in Babylon, Long Island’s newspaper about the incident said: “This was not a race issue.”
“I judge people based on character. “I’m not white supremacist,” said he.
Penny went on: “It’s funny, I mean. Everyone who has ever met me will tell you that I love people of all races and cultures. My past, my travels, and my adventures around the globe will tell you. “I was planning to take a roadtrip through Africa when this happened.”
Donte mills, the attorney who represents Neely’s parents, responded to Penny’s remarks in a press release: “This is a public relations campaign to soften people’s perception of Daniel Penny, who choked Jordan Neely. We never referred to him as a white supremacist. Instead, we called him an evil killer.
We don’t really care how many holidays he has taken. The attorney said, “We want to know why the man didn’t release that chokehold until Jordan died.”
Mills noted that there were also witnesses who begged Penny to release Neely.
Mills said that Neely suffered from mental illness as a result of his mother’s murder. Mills stated that Neely had mental illness due to his mother ‘s murder .
Penny was charged with second-degree murder on May 12, a charge which Neely’s relatives felt was too lenient.
The bail was set at $100,000. Penny posted $6,000, and his parents guarantee the bond. He was released pending trial.
Penny’s defense team, detectives and others greeted him on his way out.
Right-wing politicians and groups have compared Penny with a good Samaritan, who saved the public from danger. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, R-Ga.’s representative, tweeted that Penny is a “hero.”
She said that Neely was “a violent criminal” who should have spent time in prison, despite the fact that he had never gotten physical with anyone before being placed in a chokehold.
Police said that Neely had been unconscious when they arrived, and was pronounced dead in the hospital. The medical examiner said that he died from “compression (chokehold) of the neck” and that it was homicide.
Juan Alberto Vazquez is a witness that filmed the footage. He told NBC New York that Neely entered the train, and began to “speak in a somewhat aggressive manner, saying he wasn’t concerned about anything. He didn’t even care about getting into jail.
Vazquez stated that Neely had been held in a chokehold for approximately 15 minutes. Two other subway riders appear to have helped restrain him in the video.
Penny’s lawyers have stated that Neely “aggressively threatened” passengers and added their client did not intend to harm him. Neely’s family, on the other hand, rejected this account.
Adam Reiss and Minyvonne Bury contributed.
