The white ex-marine who allegedly became agitated on a New York subway and killed Jordan Neely, a Black New York resident, is giving a unique explanation to prove that he’s not racist. Speaking to the New York Post, Daniel Penny said he can’t be racist because he was planning a trip to Africa.
“I mean, it’s, it’s a little bit comical. Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures,” Penny told The Post. “You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”
Penny, who was charged with second-degree manslaughter, added that the incident had “nothing to do with race,” according to the New York Post. He said he judges people “based on their character” and that he’s “not a white supremacist.”
As Blavity previously reported, witnesses said Penny became agitated after Neely made threats to passengers on the subway. A video posted to social media shows Penny confronting Neely and putting him into a chokehold. Neely fell unconscious on the train and later died at the hospital. Police said the 30-year-old impersonator was also facing challenges pertaining to his mental health, as he had been arrested over 40 times.
Neely’s father, Andre Zachery, raved about his son’s Michael Jackson impersonating skills as he reflected on his life. “He was very good at it. He was great at it,” Zachery told the New York Daily News. “I sat him in front of the TV and showed him the Jackson 5. … He took on the Michael Jackson thing and he really formed it very well.”
Penny said he was returning from school in Manhattan and heading to the gym when the confrontation with Neely happened on the subway. “I was going to my gym,” Penny said. “There’s a pool there. I like to swim. I was living in the East Village. I take the subway multiple times a day. I think the New York transit system is the best in the world and I’ve been all over the world.”
Neely’s death has since been ruled as a homicide; Penny faces up to 15 years in prison.
