NYC Mayor Adams won’t say whether former Marine who put street performer Jordan Neely in deadly chokehold should be charged

After days of remaining relatively silent about the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, Mayor Adams spoke Wednesday about the homeless subway performer who was killed after menacing straphangers a week ago.

But Adams continued to avoid discussing whether Daniel Penny, the former Marine who put Neely in a deadly chokehold, be charged with a crime after days of demands from Neely’s family that prosecutors act.

“We have no control over that process,” he said, adding that Neely “did not deserve to die.”

The mayor instead focused on policy prescriptions — “upstream” solutions, as he typically refers to them — that would have to be enacted mostly by state government and be aimed at preventing people like Neely from evading New York’s extensive social safety net.

Neely, a 30-year-old known for his impersonations of Michael Jackson, died on May 1 after Penny put him in a chokehold for several minutes on the F train.

Witnesses described Neely, who has a history of being arrested for violent acts, as accosting passengers and saying he was “ready to die.” The medical examiner’s office has ruled Neely’s death a homicide.

Penny’s attorneys have said he acted in self-defense.

But Neely’s family, protestors and many local leaders have demanded Penny be charged and point to the lack of criminal charges as proof that a double standard is alive and well in the criminal justice system.

Part of what Adams said he wants is for state lawmakers to enact a bill known as the Supportive Interventions, which is intended to address flaws in the state’s mental health laws and is intended to strengthen Kendra’s Law, which allows for court-ordered mental treatment.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.