"Victim blaming": Daniel Penny statement on Jordan Neely murder sparks outrage online

Daniel Penny killed Jordan Neely on Monday, May 1, 2023. Penny, a former Marine, killed the 30-year-old black unhoused man, who was in the throes of a mental health crisis in a New York subway. Four days after the incident, on Friday, May 5, 2023, he issued a statement regarding the killing. Penny defended his response and said that he was only acting out of self-defense as he and his fellow passengers feared for their safety.philip lewis@Phil_Lewis_New: Daniel Penny, the man who choked and killed Jordan Neely, has released a statement through his attorneys3654964New: Daniel Penny, the man who choked and killed Jordan Neely, has released a statement through his attorneys https://t.co/QvHS5N69sGJordan Neely was killed on a subway train in New York after being put in a chokehold by fellow passenger Daniel Penny. The video of Neely's death was documented by a fellow passenger and freelance journalist. It showed the moment when Penny released his hold on Neely, who was seen lying motionless on the floor of the subway train. Needless to say, the video has sparked outrage with people marching across the streets demanding justice for the slain man. People even took to Twitter to call out Penny for his actions. While officials have yet to press charges in the incident, Daniel Penny issued a statement through his lawyers suggesting that he only acted out of self-defense. His statement too sparked outrage online. Daniel Penny's statement did not go down well with social media users, who called the response a transparent attempt to assign blame to the victim and said:&quot;Victim blaming. He had no idea of the guy’s history when he murdered him.”dara faye@darafaye@Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny Victim blaming. He had no idea the guy’s history when he murdered him.2391105@Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny Victim blaming. He had no idea the guy’s history when he murdered him.Twitter erupts as Daniel Penny defends his response against Jordan NeelyDaniel Penny gave a statement through his lawyers four days after he choked and killed Jordan Neely, an unhoused man, in New York. Penny's statement begins with him briefly expressing condolences to Neely's family. However, in the very next line, the statement says that Neely had a &quot;documented history of violent and erratic behavior, the apparent result of ongoing and untreated, mental illness.&quot;The statement also states that Neely’s aggressive rant on the train prompted a violent response from Penny as he and other passengers &quot;acted to protect themselves.” However, the statement notes that they did not intend to harm the victim.“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 and could not have foreseen his untimely death.”As per the freelance journalist who witnessed the attack on the train, Neely allegedly went on an aggressive rant. The victim reportedly said that he was tired of being hungry, adding he was ready to die and did not care if he ended up in prison before he was attacked. The eyewitness noted that while Neely was acting erratically, he did not attack anyone. The statement was echoed by another passenger cited by CNN, who said that he “did not harm anyone nor did they see him armed with any weapon.”It should be noted that Jordan Neely’s history of mental illness came to light only after his family spoke out in the wake of his death. Neely was not killed by his illness. According to CNN's reporting of eyewitness accounts, there was no evidence to suggest that, at any point, Neely had become violent. People who read Penny's statement were infuriated by it and took to Twitter to call him out. While some brought out his Marine background to say that he knew how his chokehold would affect the other person, others said that he needed to be held responsible for his actions. 🥀_Imposter_🥀@Imposter_Edits@Phil_Lewis_ Nobody that's trained to do a choke like that isn't also aware of the dangers of holding onto it too long. He knew what he was doing.37328@Phil_Lewis_ Nobody that's trained to do a choke like that isn't also aware of the dangers of holding onto it too long. He knew what he was doing.🌻Liz 🌻 🇺🇲🌎✌🌊@HippiePrinces12@Imposter_Edits @Phil_Lewis_ Exactly! It's premeditated cause he knew he was killing him after legally being trained how to kill! 🤬21@Imposter_Edits @Phil_Lewis_ Exactly! It's premeditated cause he knew he was killing him after legally being trained how to kill! 🤬BJ@Beejay_73@icythein @darafaye @Christi96144803 @Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny Various sources say that particular hold renders a person unconscious in just 10 seconds &amp; can cause brain damage or death in 4-6 mins. He held him like that for many MINUTES &amp; he had the training to know full well the danger of doing so.92@icythein @darafaye @Christi96144803 @Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny Various sources say that particular hold renders a person unconscious in just 10 seconds &amp; can cause brain damage or death in 4-6 mins. He held him like that for many MINUTES &amp; he had the training to know full well the danger of doing so.Tainted.Saint@TaintedSaint2@icythein @darafaye @Christi96144803 @Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny Of course he had the right to protect himself if needed, but even someone without training - it the person who is a threat stops moving, you LET GO. It's not rocket science. This guy had the training to know exactly what he was doing.1@icythein @darafaye @Christi96144803 @Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny Of course he had the right to protect himself if needed, but even someone without training - it the person who is a threat stops moving, you LET GO. It's not rocket science. This guy had the training to know exactly what he was doing.SheLovesThee@SheLoves_THEE@paul354257 @Phil_Lewis_ Actually I’m glad they pointed out he’s a marine, which means he’s trained. Which also means HE KNEW holding someone in a chokehold for 15 min would kill then5207298@paul354257 @Phil_Lewis_ Actually I’m glad they pointed out he’s a marine, which means he’s trained. Which also means HE KNEW holding someone in a chokehold for 15 min would kill thenChristina Amira Khalil@Christina4NJ@Phil_Lewis_ Still needs to be held accountable for murdering a human being.1024@Phil_Lewis_ Still needs to be held accountable for murdering a human being.Lisa Hunt@iamLisaHunt@Phil_Lewis_ @cinkelr57 One can reasonably assume that choking someone for 15 minutes would result in death.38119@Phil_Lewis_ @cinkelr57 One can reasonably assume that choking someone for 15 minutes would result in death.Sashimi Popsicle@icythein@darafaye @Christi96144803 @Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny People need to know that the chokehold shown in the video is used to incapacitate or kill an *adversary* according to the Marine Corps Martial Arts program manual. He knows that. This is murder.1574143@darafaye @Christi96144803 @Phil_Lewis_ @run4urmny People need to know that the chokehold shown in the video is used to incapacitate or kill an *adversary* according to the Marine Corps Martial Arts program manual. He knows that. This is murder.While several people have condemned Penny’s response to the situation, city officials have declined to hold him responsible for his actions.The incident has sparked a wider discourse on the city’s failure to provide adequate care for unhoused people and protect them from being criminalized and viewed as a threat to the community. The statement by Penny's lawyers also noted:&quot;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.&quot;CBS News reported that a grand jury will meet next week at an undetermined date to decide whether there is enough evidence to press charges against Penny.

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