Naeem Davis Charged With Murder; Says Subway Push was Self-Defense

A 30-year-old homeless man faces second-degree murder charges in New York City after a Queens father was pushed onto subway tracks, where he was crushed and killed by a train near Times Square.

Naeem Davis pleaded not guilty on grounds of self-defense, when he was arraigned Wednesday night in the death of 58-year-old Ki-Suk Han. Davis is accused of acting “with depraved indifference,” not because he intended to kill Han but because of the lack of disregard he showed for Han’s life, according to multiple sources.

Witnesses told the New York Post, “[Davis] stayed and watched” as the train crushed Han. Then he slowly gathered his things and left the scene, Attorney James Lin said.

Davis had been helping street vendors in Times Square for extra cash. New York’s channel 7 ABC affiliate found multiple sources in the area who said they had never seen Davis lose his temper before.

Police sources told the TV station that there is question of whether Davis meant to kill Han or if he died as the result of an altercation gone awry.

Davis previously admitted to police that he and Han "bumped into each other and started arguing before getting to the turnstiles" and continued to argue as they made their way to the platform.

"I begged him to leave me alone and he wouldn't,” Davis told police. “He wouldn't stay away and I pushed him."

“He attacked me, he grabbed me,” Davis told police, after his arrest, according to the New York Post. He claimed that Han was drunk, angry and brandished a knife at him. The Post reported Han had a vodka bottle on him.
Davis has multiple burglary and theft priors and is being held without bail.

The killing gripped the city, particularly when a shocking photo of Han’s last moments of life appeared on the cover of the New York Post, sparking outrage.