(PatriotWise.com) — The crowdfunding account raising money for former Marine Daniel Penny has raised just under $3 million, The Hill reported.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Penny with negligent homicide and manslaughter after homeless man Jordan Neely died on a subway while Penny restrained him.
Penny has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
By Monday, August 14, the GiveSendGo page organized by Penny’s legal team had raised $2,935,210. According to the fund, any cash remaining after legal fees are paid will be donated to New York mental health charities.
The bulk of the money, more than $2 million, was raised within the first few days after Penny was charged, fueled in large part by a tweet from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promoting the GiveSendGo account. The governor’s tweet prompted a firestorm of donations, at times overloading the website so donors were unable to access the page.
Neely, a 24-year-old mentally-ill homeless man with a history of violence, was shouting at passengers on a subway car in early May telling them that he didn’t care if he went to prison and he was “ready to die.”
According to court documents, Neely began threatening passengers. Shortly after the incident began, Penny placed Neely in a restraining hold from behind that lasted several minutes.
Neely’s family reportedly opposed the charges brought against Penny, arguing that they were too lenient.
At a press conference after Penny was arraigned, Lennon Edwards, an attorney for Neely’s family, said the family wanted the former Marine charged with murder due to the method used to restrain Neely.
Edwards argued that because Penny intentionally placed Neeling in a “chokehold,” he should be charged with intentional murder.
Penny’s lawyers maintained that their client acted to protect the other passengers aboard the subway and “never intended to harm” Neely.
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