Democrat New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told reporters Friday that Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis "should read a Bible" after he defended Daniel Penny, the 24-year-old Marine veteran who is facing a manslaughter charge for the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a subway May 1.
Neely, 30, was a homeless street performer that police said was acting "in a hostile and erratic manner" on an F train resulting in Penny and two others restraining him, the New York Times reported.
As a result of Penny's chokehold lasting several minutes, Neely died, sparking protests of his death throughout the city.
According to the Times, Penny was charged with manslaughter in the death and has since raised more than $2.6 million for his legal defense.
"In this case, the N.Y.P.D. collected and examined evidence and interviewed multiple witnesses at the scene and immediately began searching for additional witnesses to gain a complete picture of the facts," police said in a statement.
The Times reported that the investigation was conducted alongside the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Earlier in the week, DeSantis called Penny a "Good Samaritan" for his actions to protect others on the train, the New York Post reported.
"Vets look out for other vets," DeSantis, himself a veteran, said in the report. "What we can't have in our society is inmates running the asylum."
According to the report, DeSantis praised Penny for "doing the right thing" in the train car because the other passengers told police that they felt threatened by Neely's behavior.
In an exchange with reporters following Neely's funeral on Friday, and caught on video and posted on Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez, who called Neely's death "a public murder" shortly after the incident, commented that DeSantis "should read a Bible" regarding the Good Samaritan Bible story comparison.
Neely was eulogized by Rev. Al Sharpton at the Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem.
"Jordan was screaming for help. We keep criminalizing people with mental illness," the Times reported Sharpton saying during a speech that brought the crowd to its feet. "They don't need abuse, they need help."
According to the report about 200 people, including political officials like Ocasio-Cortez, attended the funeral for Neely.
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