The ex-Marine seen in a viral video gripping a homeless man’s neck in a chokehold is expected to be charged with second-degree manslaughter on Friday, according to reports.
A bystander who was at the scene of the incident on a New York City subway train where Jordan Neely was held in the deadly chokehold says he tried to help Neely but was barred from doing so by Daniel Penny.
Eyewitness Johnny Grima, a homelessness activist, told The New Yorker he was there on the F Train at Broadway-Lafayette Street station on May 1.
Grima said the scene was pretty intense.
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“I saw Penny holding Neely by the neck and another guy holding on to Neely as if he was still resisting. Neely was staring off. But, honestly, at the moment, I didn’t know how long they had had him,” Grima said.
“The way they were holding him, it was as if they had just had the craziest fight or something. They’re holding on to him for dear life. Somebody was filming it, and this person finally said, ‘You gotta let him go.’ They finally let him go, and he just fell limp.”
A medical examiner ruled Neely’s death as a homicide last week. News 4 New York reports the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office plans to bring charges without a grand jury review.
Grima said he noticed that Jordan’s eyes were completely still and he wasn’t moving, but stated that the people who pinned Neely down said Neely was still breathing.
“They were acting in such a way that no one else could come next to him. I told them to put him on his side. I didn’t believe that he was dead. I’d never seen a dead body before. I didn’t want him choking on his own spit or vomit.”
That’s when Grima decided to move in and provide aid to Neely.
“I had my water…
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