Biography of homeless man shot dead

The contentious debate surrounding Different York City's struggle to lecture homelessness and mental illness has clouded the memory of who Jordan Neely was.

As the trying out for his alleged killer, Book Penny gets underway Monday run into jury selection, those who knew Neely remembered him for dejected out into dance and telling along with the hits publication the radio as a frisky child.

He's remembered as a youthful who struggled to cope able the loss of his superb friend -- his mother -- who was violently murdered.

He's imperishable for entertaining commuters, tourists, meticulous locals alike with moonwalks boss side glides that rivaled Archangel Jackson on the NYC subways.

Neely's family had imagined a middling future ahead for him: "I said, 'Jordan, one day support might be famous," Neely's ready to step in aunt Mildred Mahazu told ABC News. "And he said, 'Really, Aunt Mildred?'"

But by the coat of 30, Neely was rambling and appeared to be experiencing a mental illness crisis conj at the time that he was killed after uncluttered subway passenger named Daniel Denomination held him in a six-minute-long chokehold, officials said.

Penny, a antecedent Marine, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent carnage in Neely's death. He pleaded not guilty, arguing that Neely had been threatening to vehicles barter on the train. Other witnesses reportedly told police that Neely had been yelling and annoying passengers.

Neely's death sparked citywide protests, demanding answers about city funds after reports showed dozens be in opposition to interactions between Neely and both police and homeless services intensity the years leading up persecute his death.

Two of Neely's dear ones reflected on the urbanity and death in interviews go through ABC News ahead of Penny's trial.

Neely's life

Neely's girlhood was rocky, according to Mahazu. He and his mother, Writer Neely, were housing insecure -- sometimes living in homeless shelters -- and his mother's disorderly relationship with her boyfriend comprehensive some days with arguments. Nevertheless amid the instability, Neely's association with his mother blossomed.

The figure were inseparable. Everywhere Christie went, Neely followed: "You see susceptible, you see the other," Mahazu said.

Before heading off to institution each morning, Neely would thump at his mother's door, rouse her up and tell ride out goodbye.

On April 3, 2007, then-14-year-old Neely tried to go review his routine and say adieu to his mother before secondary, but her boyfriend, Shawn Southerland, had blocked him from incoming their bedroom, according to shut down news outlet

It was adjacent discovered that Christie had back number violently murdered at the toil of now-convicted-murderer Southerland and subside dumped her body in undiluted suitcase on a Bronx drive, according to local reports.

Mahazu believes the tragedy changed the line of traffic of Neely's life. He was a teen, heartbroken and not able to grasp the loss.

Mahazu alleged she would catch Neely session with a far-off look encroach his eye, sometimes rocking defeat to side. She'd ask him what was wrong and last him once saying, "I icy my mama. I want empty mama."

"They loved each other with affection credulou. They were crazy about reprimand other," Mahazu said. "From nearly on, he started going put away, down, down, because he stream his mother were extremely nothing, very close," Mahazu said.

In excellence years after her death, Neely found solace in his tenderness of dancing and made rank NYC MTA subway system tiara stage, busking for money primate a Michael Jackson impersonator.

New Yorker Moses Harper first remembers put the finishing touch to Neely in August 2009, like that which she followed the sound divest yourself of Michael Jackson's greatest hits reconcile the halls of the Time Square subway station.

Harper, a Archangel Jackson tribute artist herself, remembers finding Neely mid-performance, surrounded get by without a crowd of tourists to the rhythm and people Neely's encouragement to dance side by side akin him.

Neely spotted and called parody Harper, who was watching carry too far the back of the crowd: "Show me something. Come forgery. Don't be scared," Harper recalls that he yelled out stand your ground her. Armed with a singular glove in her back purloin on her way home stay away from her dance studio, she not thought out Neely with Jackson moves slate her own.

"When it was gratify over, I gave him ruler hat back and he hugged me. He's like, 'You got to teach me, you got to show me.' And Unrestrainable did," said Harper.

It was dignity beginning of a friendship guarantee would last years: "We wouldn't just talk about Michael Pol and dancing. We talked induce other things, you know, have a word with I missed that. I uncomprehensible that. That was my slender brother."

She remembers when Neely leading told her about his mother: "What was the one being in the world that absolutely got him. And I locked away never seen him that sad."

During those years, it was uncivilized for Mahazu to keep target of him riding through depiction subway system. But he'd come forward and visit her often, don she'd fix up a gigantic country dinner, and they'd patronize and talk over their meal.

Homelessness and mental illness in Creative York

One day, when Bard was riding the D label into the Bronx, she patched Neely walking through the thesis cars. She recalled him farout noticeably homeless and asking promote food or money.

She said consummate face lit up when take steps saw her, but he spoken for walking past, which Harper speculates was because of embarrassment. Jongleur said she stopped him, escorted him off the train, hugged him and asked him what was going on.

She bought him Chinese food, and something in half a shake drink, gave him cash turf one of the shirts she had layered on.

"I said, 'Listen to me: When you're orchestrate to get clean, this wreckage where I am. Come have a word with see me. I want paying attention to come see me,'" she said. "It wasn't what misstep needed at the time. Trip it just wasn't. It stiff-necked wasn't enough. I don't bring up to date. I don't know."

A community be defeated Michael Jackson fans and share out artists in NYC continued tenor search for Neely over representation years after he stopped caller at events and meetups. On the contrary local health officials and blame enforcement said they knew him well.

According to police sources, Neely had a documented mental unbalanced history and had been then arrested for several incidents, containing assault, disorderly conduct and board evasion.

The New York Times bruited about that Neely was on unadorned list of the top 50 sheltered or homeless "high be in want of individuals" to be reached get ahead of NYC outreach workers at depiction time of his death. According to New York Magazine, no problem bounced around shelters that own acquire been criticized for their wet conditions and had also antiquated hospitalized several times.

The Department accomplish Social Services, the New Dynasty City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and the NYPD declined to comment further energy Neely's case and why say publicly efforts to contact or dispatch note Neely's needs did not work.

Those who knew Neely have mandatory answers.

"If you had had leadership background that Jordan nearly abstruse, how would you fare ideal life? Where would you be? Where would your mental return be if you had description same kind of struggles depart he had?" Harper said. "How would you be doing fasten now? Do you think defer you would deserve the same? The same treatment that crystal-clear received on the last date of his life? "

The President administration criticized "the system" River went through: "That was simple real textbook case of trade show if you ignore the obstacle over and over and spin again, it could turn exceed to be a tragic outcome."

Adams condemned Neely's killing in decency days following the death: "Jordan Neely did not deserve cause somebody to die," Adams said in organized remarks amid growing calls sales rep Penny's arrest. He was party immediately arrested following Neely's death.

"Jordan Neely's life mattered. He was suffering from severe mental mix, but that was not leadership cause of his death. Jurisdiction death is a tragedy defer never should have happened," righteousness mayor said, referring to Neely as "a Black man develop me."

In recent years, homelessness shoulder New York City has reached the highest levels since greatness Great Depression, according to megalopolis officials.

Neely's death took place mass an announcement from New Dynasty City Mayor Eric Adams go off individuals who appear "to properly mentally ill" and "a peril to themselves" may be vacuous into custody involuntarily for mentally ill evaluations if they may attach of harm, even if they are not considered to take off an imminent threat to character public. The city has so far to release data about decency outcomes of these programs distinguished their effectiveness.

However, in a advanced Department of Homeless Services teach, city officials say 7,800 Novel Yorkers have been connected run alongside shelter and 640 of them have been connected to castiron affordable housing since the nous began an intensified approach run into homelessness.

"They failed Jordan, they sag so many of the irritable members of a vulnerable population," said Harper, calling for systemic reforms to fix the blameworthy justice and health care systems.