More than $2.5 million raised online for Daniel Penny's manslaughter defense in US choke death case

WASHINGTON (AA) - More than $2.5 million have been raised in an online crowdfunding page for the legal defense of Daniel Penny, charged with second-degree manslaughter last week for killing a homeless Black man with a chokehold in New York City.

A GiveSendGo page titled, “Daniel Penny’s Legal Defense Fund,” which was created by the Raiser & Kenniff, P.C. law firm, has raised $2,501,053 as of late Tuesday.

"Funds are being raised to pay Mr. Penny’s legal fees incurred from any criminal charges filed and any future civil lawsuits that may arise, as well as expenses related to his defense," the firm wrote on the page.

Penny, a 24-year-old former US Marine from the borough of Queens, killed Jordan Neely, 30, by placing him in a lethal chokehold May 1 on a subway train. Penny's subsequent release after being initially detained sparked outrage and has led to a series of protests.