Jordan Williams is a young man who was riding the subway in New York when a homeless man threatened him and his girlfriend. Williams stabbed the man, who later died of the injuries.
Williams was initially charged with manslaughter, but the charges have been dropped.
NBC News reports:
Charges dropped against NYC man accused in fatal subway stabbingJordan Williams, the 20-year-old man who was accused of fatally stabbing a New York City subway rider, will avoid prosecution, city officials said Wednesday.A grand jury declined to indict Williams on manslaughter and weapons charges in connection with the June 13 deadly stabbing of Devictor Quedraogo, 36, on a Brooklyn J train.Quedraogo was alleged to have punched Williams’ girlfriend and harassed other passengers.“Our office conducted an impartial and thorough investigation of this tragic case, which included review of multiple videos and interviews with all available witnesses, and that evidence was fairly presented to a grand jury,” a statement from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office said. “Today, the charges against Jordan Williams have been dismissed.”Williams was arrested following the incident earlier this month, with his attorney, Jason Goldman, previously saying that his client had acted in self-defense.The grand jury appeared to agree.”Under New York law, a person is justified in using deadly physical force when they reasonably believe it is necessary to use such force to defend themselves or others from imminent use of deadly or unlawful physical force,” the DA’s office said in its statement.
It is impossible to hear this and not think of Daniel Penny, who is being charged in a similar case.
It’s possible that there are differences here. A different area, a different prosecutor, but still. It points directly to the idea of a two-tiered justice system.
Jordan Williams’ own mother compared the two cases.
The New York Post reported:
Mother of J train stabber compares son to Daniel Penny, starts legal defense fundThe mother of the man accused of fatally stabbing an ex-con who attacked his girlfriend on a J Train this week compared the young man to Daniel Penny, as she has started an online fundraiser for his legal defense.Jordan Williams, 20, was justified when he knifed Devictor Ouedraogo on a Brooklyn subway Tuesday night because he was defending other straphangers from “danger which was already taking place,” his mom, April Williams, wrote on a GiveSendGo fundraiser she created.Then she invoked Penny, the 24-year-old former Marine who was indicted for killing troubled homeless man Jordan Neely after Neely allegedly threatened other passengers on an F train in Manhattan last month.“Simply stated, these cases have become all too familiar in NYC, and this situation resembles that of Daniel Penny – who is out on bail and able to defend himself freely,” she wrote. “We just pray for that same opportunity!”
This tweet makes an excellent point:
Featured image via YouTube.
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