A New York City subway driver accused of fatally stabbing a man who hit his girlfriend and molested other passengers will not be charged after involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped because video footage supported his self-defense case .
Jordan Williams, 20, allegedly pulled out a pocketknife and stabbed 36-year-old Devictor Ouedraogo on a northbound J-train in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on June 12.
The case commemorates black homeless man Jordan Neely, 30, who was killed on the F-train on May 1 when Daniel Penny, 24 – a white ex-Marine – put a stranglehold on him for allegedly threatening fellow passengers acted in self-defense.
Unlike Penny, however, Williams will not face trial after the charges were dismissed by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
“Our office conducted an impartial and thorough investigation of this tragic case, which included reviewing multiple videos and interviewing all available witnesses, and the evidence was presented fairly to a grand jury,” a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Jordan Williams, 20, a New York City subway rider accused of fatally stabbing a man who hit his girlfriend and molested other passengers, will not be charged after manslaughter charges were dropped because he was in acted in self-defence
Daniel Penny pictured outside Manhattan Criminal Court where he pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday
“Today, the charges against Jordan Williams were dismissed.”
Sources claimed that Williams’ self-defense claims were backed up by video showing Ouedraogo strangling Williams and beating his girlfriend, and testimonies from witnesses on the train.
New York law states that “a person has the right to use deadly physical force if he or she reasonably believes that it is necessary to use that force to protect himself or others from the threatened use of deadly or unlawful physical force. “
It comes on the same day that a grand jury upheld the involuntary manslaughter charge and added a manslaughter charge against Penny. If convicted, Penny faces up to 19 years in prison.
In a statement following the hearing, Penny’s attorneys Steve Raiser and Thomas Keniff told : “Today Danny entered a plea of not guilty with great confidence that a jury of his peers will ultimately agree and return a non-verdict. ‘ found guilty on all charges at trial.
“But Danny won’t be the only one on trial. The right and duty to protect one another will also be put to the test.
“Our legal team at Raiser & Kenniff is fighting for Danny and for the right and duty of all New Yorkers to defend one another when serious harm is being done to them.” Tens of thousands of people have come forward to support Danny financially, with words of encouragement and prayer . Danny is eternally grateful for that.
“On May 1, 2023, Danny defended his fellow passengers, now it’s our turn to defend Danny.”
Jordan Williams, 20, allegedly pulled a pocket knife and stabbed 36-year-old Devictor Ouedraogo on June 12 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on a northbound J-train
Williams will not be brought to trial after the Brooklyn Attorney’s Office dismissed the charges
Penny’s next court date is October 25th.
Ex-Marine Penny turned himself in to police nearly two weeks after Neely’s May 12 death when he was charged with second-degree manslaughter and then released on $100,000 bail.
Williams’ attorney said his client also acted in self-defense but claimed the reason for the difference in treatment was that he was black.
Jason Goldman said, “It is disturbing to see Mr. Williams being charged at all without a thorough investigation having taken place.”
“We already know that the victim hit his girlfriend and threatened the passenger.”
“Doesn’t Mr. Williams get the same treatment as Mr. Penny – release, voluntary surrender and small bail – because his skin color is different and he comes from a certain neighborhood?
“Instead, these very factors will likely result in Mr. Williams, a young boy, fighting this case of clear self-defense from a cage at Rikers.”
Authorities said Ouedraogo boarded the train to Brooklyn with the couple around 8:10 p.m. on June 12, before he allegedly began harassing commuters crossing the Williamsburg Bridge.
The attorney for a New York City subway driver who fatally stabbed a man for hitting his girlfriend and harassing others has asked why he wasn’t released like Jordan Neely’s killer
20-year-old Jordan Williams (center) allegedly pulled a pocketknife and stabbed 36-year-old Devictor Ouedraogo on a northbound J-train in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Tuesday
Ouedraogo, who has tried to be convicted of robbery in the past, is said to have hit his girlfriend and molested other passengers before being stabbed
Video obtained by the New York Daily News showed the victim, speaking slurred and shirtless, running in the face of a random passenger. The outlet did not release the footage.
As the commuter tried not to react, Ouedraogo began circling in front of him.
At the end of the video, Williams could be seen approaching the man, apparently trying to calm him down.
But a second clip obtained by the broadcaster shows the two men fighting while an unidentified woman can be heard yelling, “Don’t the fuck touch her, you piece of shit.”
“Take your damn hand off her.”
It is not known if the woman mentioned was Williams’ girlfriend who was allegedly beaten.
Then Ouedraogo was seen backing away because his chest was covered in blood, he stumbled off the train and collapsed on the platform.
Police and first responders rushed to the scene of the accident, rescue workers took the man to a hospital, where his death was determined.
A witness, identified only as Eric, told the New York Post that Ouedraogo “looked someone in the eye on the other end of the train” and “at one point took his shirt off and I heard him say he was going to do it.” delete someone.’
He said Ouedraogo had been with a friend and both had been acting “obnoxious” on the train, sitting next to a young woman and two older women.
One of the older women reacted defensively when Ouedraogo started talking to her, and Williams rolled his eyes and told him, “You have to relax or you have to relax,” Eric said.
The couple then started talking until Ouedraogo slapped him in the face and then slapped his girlfriend as well.
Passengers fled the scene while the fight was taking place and Eric said he “didn’t see it”. [Williams] pulled out a knife but it looked like he had hit him [Ouedraogo] in the chest.’
Police and first responders rushed to the scene of the accident, rescue workers took the man to a hospital, where his death was determined
Williams was arrested by police on Wednesday and charged with manslaughter and criminal firearm possession
Attorney Jason Goldman said his client acted in self-defense and claimed the reason he was treated differently than Daniel Penny, who was charged in the stranglehold death of Neely on the subway, was because he was black
The victim “then walked through the car doors into the car that everyone was in and I backed up and he had a hole in the middle of his chest that was bleeding and he had a whitewashed look in his eyes.” added Eric.
“His friend punched him in the face but he was completely unconscious on the subway platform.”
Officials said the couple involved in the attack stayed on the train but were tracked down at Chauncey Street station.
They said they did not know the victim and both Williams and his girlfriend were taken into custody as “persons of interest,” but the woman was later released.
Ouedraogo had served three years in prison since 2009 after being convicted of attempted robbery in Queens.
In the Penny case, the former Marine was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday and is expected to appear in court on July 17 on second-degree manslaughter charges after being released on bail.
More than $2.8 million was raised for Penny’s legal defense on GiveSendGo, previously better known for being used by those accused of taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and supporters of Kyle Rittenhouse.
In a recent interview, Penny also claimed that Neely ripped his jacket off and threatened to kill the subway passengers.
“The man kept stumbling, he seemed drugged, the doors closed, he ripped his jacket off and threw it at the people sitting to my left,” he added.
Penny said he was listening to music and pulled out his headphones when he heard Neely scream in what he described as a “scary situation”.
The incident bears similarities to the death of 30-year-old Neely, a homeless man with drug problems, who died on the subway on May 1 after being held by Penny
“The three main threats he kept repeating were: I’m going to kill you, I’m willing to go to prison for life, and I’m ready to die,” Penny said.
Penny said he felt he could no longer sit and do nothing, echoing an interview he gave earlier this week in which he quoted a lecture by author Elie Wiesel from school.
“There’s a common misconception that Marines aren’t afraid.” We’re actually taught that one of our core values is courage, and courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s dealing with fear,” he said.
“I was scared for myself, but I looked around, there were women and children, he was yelling in their faces and saying those threats. ‘I just couldn’t sit still.’
He argued that the news that he “detained” Neely for 15 minutes was “not true.”
“The entire interaction took less than 5 minutes.” Some people say I tried to strangle him, but that’s not true either. I tried to hold him back.’
He claimed that the grip he used to hold Neely “was due to the strength he had.” [Neely’s] exert.’
“In the video there is a definite rise and fall in his chest, indicating he is breathing. I’m trying to stop him from carrying out the threats.”