Mamdani opposes prosecuting knife-wielding man shot by police in Queens

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that he does not believe the Queens district attorney should prosecute a mentally ill man who allegedly ran at police officers with a knife, suggesting the man instead needed mental health treatment.

NYPD officials said 22-year-old Jabez Chakraborty was holding a large kitchen knife and attacked officers responding to the family’s emergency call on Jan. 26. Officers repeatedly told him to drop the gun as they tried to de-escalate the situation before an officer fired several shots, hitting Chakraborty; Chakraborty was later taken to hospital in a critical condition.

The family had called 911 to report that Chakraborty had thrown glass at his home on Parsons Avenue. NYPD officials said he was in Briarwood, according to the New York Daily News.

After officers responded to the home, Chakraborty charged them with a knife, according to the NYPD. Officers repeatedly instructed him to drop the gun and attempted to isolate him in the living room of the home by closing the glass door between them and Chakraborty. However, police said the man managed to open the door and overpower the officers with the knife he held out.

MAN WITH A KNIFE SUT AN NYPD OFFICER IN THE FACE WITH A 14-INCH KNIFE, SHOOT HIM TO DEATH AS POLICE CHARGED

NYPD officials said the officers did not draw their weapons until Chakraborty pulled the knife.

Officers provided first aid and attempted to stop bleeding after the shooting, according to the agency. The man was later rushed to the hospital and his condition was stated to be critical but stable.

In their statement, the family said that the family wanted emergency healthcare professionals to intervene in the incident instead of the police. Chakraborty was shot at least four times, the family said.

“We asked for help,” the family said. “We called 911 for an ambulance to provide medical assistance to our son who was in emotional distress. We did not call the police. Instead of medical responders, the NYPD arrived and shot our son multiple times in front of us.”

Jabez Chakraborty, 22, armed with a large kitchen knife, attacked officers responding to the family’s emergency call. (NYPD)

The Queens District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident; Preliminary reports suggest prosecutors are potentially seeking an indictment for attempted murder.

But Mamdani, who watched the body camera footage, said the man needed mental health treatment rather than face criminal charges.

“As I watch this footage, it’s clear to me that what Jabez needs is mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution from a district attorney, and we’re talking about a family who endured the kind of pain that no family should have to endure, and an individual who lived with schizophrenia for many years,” the mayor said at a news conference Tuesday. he said.

“A person experiencing a mental health issue does not always need to be served primarily or exclusively by a police officer. It is important to us that all options are available,” he added.

MAN FROM WASHINGTON ALLEGEDLY PUNISHED THE POLICE WITH HIS FAKE 911 CALL

Officers repeatedly told the man to drop the gun as they tried to deescalate the situation before one officer fired several times. (Susan Watts/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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The mayor also said he met with Chakraborty’s family, who also criticized him for his initial response to the shooting. Mamdani said hours after the shooting that police “encountered a person wielding a knife” and was “grateful to the first responders who put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep our community safe.”

“After all this, we saw Mayor Mamdani’s statement applauding the NYPD officers who shot our son, threatened us, lied, and prevented us from seeing our son for over 24 hours,” the family’s statement said. The statement was included. “Why is the mayor applauding the officers who recklessly nearly killed our son in front of us?”