Charges have been reduced against a Bronx man accused in the fatal beating of another man who police said was trying to rape his wife.
Mamadou Diallo, 61, is free on his own recognizance without bail Wednesday after being arraigned Tuesday night on charges including assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Diallo, who originally faced a manslaughter charge, exited the Bronx criminal courthouse to cheers and a crowd of waiting supporters.
The dramatic chain of events began around 9:30 p.m. Monday.
Investigators said Diallo, a cab driver, raced home after getting a frantic call from his wife, Nenegale Diallo, saying that a man forced his way into their apartment and began beating Nenegale and ripping her clothes off.
The couple’s son described what happened next.
“When he came, he ran into the guy in the hallway,” Abdul Diallo said. “They started fighting and they was holding him down in the elevator until the cops came.”
Police said Diallo beat the suspect, identified as 43-year-old Earl Nash, with a tire iron in the elevator bank. Nash was left with a fractured skull and later died at the hospital.
Police said Nash is a career criminal with 19 prior arrests including robbery, arson and assault.
Diallo’s friends says it is a horrible situation for everyone involved.
“Mamadou Diallo, he’s a very nice guy. He don’t bother nobody, and he’s not even violent,” family friend Kamafing Sissoko said. “But in this situation, that’s something else. You have to do anything to protect your family.”
“We really, really deplore this and we don’t wish this on anybody,” said family friend Abdoul Diallo.
Mamadou Diallo is set to return to court on June 27.
