The trial of Daniel Penny, a former Marine facing second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges in the death of Jordan Neely on the New York City subway, has begun. The prosecution alleges that Penny went too far by putting Neely, a homeless street artist, in a fatal chokehold, while the defense argues that Penny was responding to a threat and acted to protect others on the subway.
Neely, who was Black, was behaving erratically and yelling loudly on the subway before Penny, who is White, restrained him in a chokehold for several minutes. Neely later died at a hospital, with the medical examiner ruling his death a homicide.
