Death of man who was placed in chokehold on New York City subway ruled a homicide
The death of a man who was captured on video being placed in a stranglehold on a New York City subway train Monday afternoon has been ruled a homicide, officials said.
The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday that the cause of death for the victim, identified by officials Jordan Neely, was determined to be "compression of neck" or a "chokehold."
Video obtained by CBS New York showed Neely being placed in a chokehold by another man for several minutes. The man accused of choking Neely was questioned and released by police, the New York City Police Department said. Police have not said if charges will be filed in the case.
"This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neely's life. As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiner's report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records," the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Rev. Al Sharpton, the founder of the National Action Network, demanded in a statement Wednesday that the District Attorney and police "investigate this horrific incident as a potential case of manslaughter – if not murder. Thirty years ago, I fought the Bernard Goetz case and we cannot end up back to a place where vigilantism is tolerable. It wasn't acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now."
The NYPD said Neely was 30 years old and the man who allegedly placed him in the chokehold is 24. Sources told CBS New York he is a Marine veteran. He supposedly restrained Neely because he had been acting erratically on a train in a station in the SoHo area of Manhattan, the sources told CBS New York.
The NYPD told CBS News that when officers arrived, Neely was unresponsive and was brought to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Neely was homeless at the time of his death, according to Sharpton.
"We hope the family of Jordan Neely will come forward so NAN can ensure he is funeralized properly and decently," he said.
