A man holds a photo of Yao Pan Ma in critical condition at a hospital after being assaulted on April 23, 2021 in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, during a press conference in New York City, USA on April 27, 2021. A New York City man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and a hate crime in the 2021 killing of a Chinese immigrant has been sentenced to 22 years in prison, authorities said.
Jarrod Powell'sPowell's attack on Yao Pan Ma, 61, in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood was one of a series of attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the United States.
Ma was in a coma for eight months before he died. The police surveillance video of the April 2021 attack showed Ma being knocked down from behind and kicked in the head repeatedly by a lone man.
In January, Powell pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg'sBragg's office said in a statement that the 51-year-old had been sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Bragg said that the death of Ma was the result of a racially motivated attack. There's no need to fear that they're in danger because of their background. Ma was a pastry chef who came to the US two years ago with his wife, according to US media.
Bragg's office said Powell admitted in his plea that he targeted Ma due to his Asian heritage. The office said it currently has 39 open cases related to anti-Asian hate crimes.
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The attack on Ma came a month after a shooting spree at three Atlanta spas left eight dead, including six Asian women.
According to a report from the Pew Research Center, about one-third of Asian Americans say they have changed their daily routines due to concerns over threats and attacks. In 2021, there were 305 US hate crimes against Asians, according to the FBI.