Daniel Penny indicted by grand jury for death of Jordan Neely

Source: Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty

Let this be a lesson to all you wannabe heroes out there…

Daniel Penny has been indicted by a grand jury for the fatal chokehold that he applied to Jordan Neely‘s neck for an egregious amount of time. According to ABCNews, the official charges will not be released until Penny appears in court. However, he was initially arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter.

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

Witnesses to Penny’s violent reaction say that Neely had not threatened anyone specifically and did not attack or assault anyone prior to being choked to death. Hopefully, those witnesses put their names on it when it comes time for trial. Moreover, the medical examiner did rule Neely’s death a homicide that was directly linked to the chokehold.

Source: Spencer Platt / Getty

The attorney’s representing the Neely family released a statement in reaction to the indictment news:

“The grand jury’s decision tells our city and our nation that ‘no one is above the law’ no matter how much money they raise, no matter what affiliations they claim, and no matter what distorted stories they tell in interviews,” the attorneys said in a statement.

For their part, Penny’s attorneys issued this retort:

“We’re all saddened at the loss of human life,” Penny’s attorney Thomas Kenniff said in a statement. “Daniel Penny saw a genuine threat and took action to protect the lives of others.”

Said attorneys also quipped that it, “should be noted that the standard of proof in a grand jury is very low.”

We gon’ see.