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A Fundraiser created for Jordan Williams to help pay for his legal expenses, in the wake of his arrest on a manslaughter charge, has raised more than $50,000, inching closer to its goal of $100,000. Thousands of people swarmed the GiveSendGo site to donate to Jordan Williams’ legal fund, which is raising money for the suspect accused of fatally stabbing a New York City subway rider who allegedly punched his girlfriend and harassed other passengers.
On Tuesday, June 13, a man identified as Devictor Ouedraogo, 36, was harassing other commuters on board a northbound J train when he got into a heated altercation with Jordan Williams, 20, and his girlfriend. The verbal altercation soon escalated to a physical scuffle when Ouedraogo allegedly punched Williams’ girlfriend in the face. In the middle of their tussle, the 20-year-old allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed the man twice in the chest.
An injured Ouedraogo, who stumbled out of the train and onto the platform, was rushed to a hospital after EMS responded to a 911 call about the stabbing. Shortly after, Ouedraogo was pronounced dead at the Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. The couple reportedly stayed on the train and were confronted by the officers who responded to the stabbing incident at the Chauncey Street station.
Authorities said that on Wednesday, June 14, Jordan Williams from Queens was arrested and charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon.
Jordan Williams, an employee at FedEx, was released from prison without bail
During an arraignment hearing on Thursday, the Judge cited by CBS News revealed that Jordan Williams is an employee at FedEx and had no and no prior criminal record. Williams was reportedly released from prison without posting bail. The fundraiser launched in the wake of Jordan William's release said that the 20-year-old, born and raised in Wayside Baptist Church, is a high school graduate and an avid basketball player. The fundraiser added:
“We are blessed that a Judge has allowed my son to fight his case alongside his lawyer from the outside but there is still a way to go in having these charges completely dismissed.”
Williams' mother, who launched the fundraiser, maintained that her son was only defending himself during the subway incident. The statement was echoed by Jordan Williams' attorney, Jason Goldman, who argued that his client acted out of self-defense when he fatally stabbed a fellow subway passenger. Goldman said that the victim attacked his client and other passengers on the train prompting Williams to fight back violently.
"You have two choices right now. You can sit there and get assaulted, and your friends or family or loved ones can get assaulted and seriously injured. Or you can fight back and get arrested and maybe get charged, maybe go to Rikers, maybe get released. So what are you supposed to do?"
Jordan Williams' case compared to Daniel Penny's incident
The Williams case has been widely compared to that of Daniel Penny, a white marine veteran who was captured on video putting Jordan Neely, who is black, in a fatal chokehold on a subway train on May 1. Similar to Williams, Penny also cited self-defense in the case. Penny, who was initially not charged with the crime, was taken into custody days later following civilian backlash on the incident.
Penny was later indicted on a second-degree manslaughter charge. He remains free on bail. While both incidents have been widely viewed online as a case of self-defense, several people, including Williams' attorney were quick to point out the disparities in how both men were treated by law enforcement. While Penny, a white man, was initially let go without any charges, Williams, a black man, was immediately charged with manslaughter. Goldman asked:
"Is Mr Williams not getting the same treatment that Mr Penny received — released, voluntary surrender, and low bail — because his skin color is different and he comes from a particular neighborhood?"
Meanwhile, prosecutors have yet to comment on the ongoing case against Williams.
