Protests against the killing of homeless schizophrenic Jordan Neely on the New York City subway turned violent on Monday night, with a demonstrator pictured being restrained by police with blood pouring down his face.
Neely’s death was decreed a homicide last week, and the Neely family are calling for Penny to be prosecuted. The Manhattan district attorney is weighing whether to press charges.
On Monday, demonstrators calling for justice for Neely took to the streets once again, rallying near the Broadway-Lafayette station in lower Manhattan where Neely was killed.
A protester calling for justice for Jordan Neely is seen on Monday evening being wrestled to the floor by NYPD
The demonstrator had blood pouring down his head from a wound on his forehead
The protester is seen being escorted away from the scene by members of the NYPD on Monday
A well-known photographer, Stephanie Keith, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Reuters and Getty, was detained.
One protester was seen being wrestled to the ground with blood pouring from a wound on his head.
Several more were pushed to the floor – one shirtless man had a police officer kneeling on his chest.
The NYPD is yet to confirm how many arrests were made, when asked by DailyMail.com.
Others marched with their fists aloft, waving the black liberation flag and wearing t-shirts that read: ‘F*** the mayor’.
Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, who like Neely is black, has called for restraint, urging protesters to give the Manhattan DA’s office time to investigate fully.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a congresswoman representing New York City, has called Neely’s death a ‘public execution’, angering the mayor.
On Monday it emerged that numerous panicked bystanders called 911 as Penny grappled with Neely.
Stephanie Keith, a well-known NYC photographer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, on Reuters and Getty, was arrested on Monday
Keith was taking photos at the protest when NYPD stopped her
The photographer is seen being escorted away by NYPD
A shirtless man is seen being restrained by officers
Multiple police officers restrained the man amid the protests in lower Manhattan
One person holds up a shirt showing Neely’s face. He was well known in the city as a Michael Jackson impersonator
Police are seen wrestling with a protester on Monday night
The protester is seen being knocked to the ground and restrained
An activist, their face covered, holds a candle while confronting police on Monday night
Protesters carrying the black liberation flag send a message to Eric Adams, who has urged the city to wait for a full investigation before demanding Daniel Penny be prosecuted
The New York Police Department received their first call reporting a fight on the F train at 2:25pm on May 1, with another report coming in a minute later.
At 2:27 pm two more calls were received – one telling of ‘threats’ being made on the train, and the other describing a rider ‘armed with a knife or gun.’
A call reporting an assault in progress was placed at 2:29pm, and at 2:30pm a second call reporting somebody making threats on the F train was made.
According to Fox News, those calls were merely a ‘summary’ of the many calls placed to police during the altercation between Neely and Penny.
The NYPD told DailyMail.com they ‘responded to multiple 911 calls’ as the incident played out at the Broadway-Lafayette Street station.
NYPD officers on attempt to revive Jordan Neely as he lies on the floor of an F train on May 1
Officers outside the F train while the body of Neely is prepared to be moved to a hospital
Police said they arrived on the scene by 2:30pm and began administering CPR on Neely, who had gone limp in Penny’s grip by then.
The New York Fire Department was called for assistance at 2:39pm, and they arrived less than ten-minutes later at 2:46pm.
Neely was then taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
A medical examination revealed he died from compression of the neck.
It remains unclear whether Neely died on the subway, or finally succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
It also remains unclear exactly what time Penny first put Neely in a chokehold or how long he held him.
Some witnesses have reported Penny had his arm around Neely’s neck for up to 15 minutes before he lost consciousness, according to NBC New York.
Neely, 30, was homeless, schizophrenic and ‘self-medicating with K2‘ – a potent synthetic cannabis – before his death, according to members of his family.
Penny, 24, was detained and questioned by police after the incident, but was released on the grounds that he had been acting in self-defense.
Penny’s lawyers released a statement defending his actions, saying that he ‘could not have foreseen [Neely’s] untimely death,’ and noted Neely’s long criminal record which includes two incidents of randomly punching strangers on the subway.
A grand jury is expected to be impaneled this week to decide whether to press charge.
After being warned that Neely could die, Penny (left) and the other man who helped restrain him (right) continued to restrain him for several more seconds. He jumped up when Neely became unresponsive
Daniel Penny grapples with Jordan Neely on the floor of the F train on May 1
The protesters blocked an incoming Q train at the station on Saturday. They are wanted for criminal trespassing over the protest
Protestors on the tracks at a subway station on the Upper East Side in New York City on Saturday
In their statement, Penny’s attorneys said he was trying to protect others from a mentally unstable and unpredictable stranger.
‘Earlier this week Daniel Penny was involved in a tragic incident on the NYC Subway, which ended in the death of Jordan Neely.
‘We would first like to express, on behalf of Daniel Penny, our condolences to those close to Mr Neely,’ the press release began.
‘Mr Neely had a documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated mental illness. When Mr Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived. Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely.’
‘For too long, those suffering from mental illness have been treated with indifference.
‘We hope that out of this awful tragedy will come a new commitment by our elected officials to address the mental health crisis on our streets and subways.’
Neely’s family were not impressed with Penny’s statement, and said he belongs in prison.
‘Daniel Penny’s press release is not an apology nor an expression of regret,’ they said.
‘It is a character assassination and a clear example of why he believes he was entitled to take Jordan’s life.
‘He knew nothing about Jordan’s history when he intentionally wrapped his arms around Jordan’s neck, and squeezed and kept squeezing.
‘His actions on the train and now his words show why he needs to be in prison.’
They also begged Mayor Eric Adams to make contact with them.
‘The family wants you to know that Jordan matters,’ they said.
‘You seem to think others are more important than him. You cannot “assist” someone with a chokehold.’
