Homeless man charged in NY subway rider's death

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-EXCITE

By COLLEEN LONG and DEEPTI HAJELA


NEW YORK (AP) - While New York City straphangers pondered what they would do in a similar nightmare situation, authorities charged a homeless man in the death of a Queens resident pushed in front of an oncoming subway train and killed as onlookers watched.

"I would certainly try to do whatever I possibly could," said Denise Martorana, 34, as she waited for the "A" train at Penn Station on Wednesday evening.

"I certainly wouldn't be able to stand there and watch, that's for sure," she said.

Naeem Davis, 30, was arraigned Wednesday night on a second-degree murder charge and ordered held without bail in the death of 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han on Monday. He is due back in court on Dec. 11.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20121206/DA30BHG00.html

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Naeem Davis stands in front of Judge Lynn Kotler during his arraignment on murder charges Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in New York. Davis was arrested Tuesday in the death of 58-year-old New York city subway rider Ki-Suck Han, who was shoved onto the tracks. (AP Photo/New York Post, William C. Lopez, Pool)

[geek tragedy]

1. Well, he'll never be homeless again. nt

[Brickbat]

2. No one ever says, "I'd probably be so shocked I would stand there watching and screaming, not

knowing what to do because seriously, who expects to see that?"

Or, "I would literally not believe what I was seeing, and I'm sure my brain would be so busy thinking up a plausible explanation to deal with the sight of someone seconds away from being hit by a train that I would not be able to move."

Or, "I'm pretty sure that in the half-second of being able to make a decision, I would think first of self-preservation and more about how I can get away from a scary person-pusher than pulling the guy from the path of the oncoming train."

But it would be a lot more honest. Interviewing people on the platform days later is just stupid and a waste of time.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Have to agree with you.

Most people are frozen and stunned by an incident like that.

[murielm99]

4. Not only that,

when asked to describe what they have just witnessed, people often stumble over details and get them wrong.

I once witnessed a serious car accident. I was much better off talking to the police later. I was able to describe what I saw calmly, and in more detail. I remembered more.

Of course it was good to get my first impressions. But I now understand why eyewitness testimony is so unreliable. And I was trying to do things conscientiously!

[AndyTiedye]

5. It Would Have Taken Several People Working Together to Get Him Out

One person would just get pulled down himself, unless others were holding on to him.

How does one organize such a group action in a few seconds?

[ceeRoy]

6. The NYC Subway System

is a living horror show. I commute to NYC every day and use the system to get to my work destination...to me the bigger picture is can they control the lunatics and derange homeless people that use the system as place to camp out and bring their activities and issues to the regular passengers that are just trying to go from one place to the other.

That individual is just the type of mental case I see frequently just loitering within the system. There are many many others just waiting to create the next tragedy...they need to be removed and helped. There are many that sleep, use the system as their personal rest room, storage facility ...you name it. I don't know the answer or if there is one to control this problem but that is the issue in my opinion...not that one deranged lunatic who did this crime.