The Marine vet responsible for the death of NYC subway rider, Jordan Neely, has officially been criminally charged with putting him in a fatal chokehold.
On Friday, Daniel Penny turned himself into a Manhattan station house on charges of second-degree manslaughter.
Penny will appear before a judge Friday afternoon to be arraigned on the felony charge in criminal court after posing for a mug shot and having her fingerprints taken.
In a statement released late on Thursday, Mr. Penny’s attorneys from the firm Raiser & Kenniff stated that they were “confident that once all the facts and circumstances surrounding this tragic incident are brought to bear, Mr. Penny will be fully absolved of any wrongdoing.”
“When Mr. Penny, a decorated Marine veteran, stepped in to protect himself and his fellow New Yorkers, his well-being was not assured. He risked his own life and safety, for the good of his fellow passengers,” the law firm said in a statement. “The unfortunate result was the unintended and unforeseen death of Mr. Neely.”
Neely, who was reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis, died on May 1 after being put in a chokehold. Footage showed Penny placing the man in a chokehold on an F train following an outburst from Neely. Penny claims he was acting in self-defense and to protect others on the train.
Penny and Neely struggled on the ground for several minutes before Neely’s body went limp and he was declared dead.
According to reports, the medical examiner determined that his death was a homicide caused by “compression of the neck.”
