Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that a 22-year-old Bangladeshi man shot multiple times by NYPD officers in Queens last week during a mental health crisis needs treatment, not criminal charges, as the city prepared to release body-worn camera footage from the incident.
Speaking at a press conference on the Lower East Side, Mamdani said he had viewed the footage himself after meeting with the Chakraborty family and visiting Jabez Chakraborty in the hospital, where the young man remains in critical condition. The NYPD is expected to release the video to the public on Tuesday.
“What Jabez needs is mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution by a district attorney,” Mamdani said, calling the shooting a stark example of the city’s failure to respond appropriately to psychiatric emergencies.
Chakraborty was shot at his Briarwood, Queens home last Monday, Jan. 26, after his family called 911 seeking an ambulance for their son, who they say was in emotional distress. Instead of medical responders, NYPD officers arrived and, moments later, shot him in front of family members, according to a statement released by Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM), a South Asian immigrant advocacy group.
The family’s statement describes a series of alleged abuses following the shooting — including officers demanding their phones and passwords, questioning them about their immigration status, preventing them from accompanying their son to the hospital, and detaining them at a precinct while their son lay critically injured.
The family also criticized Mamdani’s initial response to the incident. In a Jan. 26 social media post, the mayor said he was “grateful to the first responders who put themselves on the line each day to keep our communities safe,” language the family described as applauding officers who “recklessly almost killed our son.”
Asked Tuesday whether he regretted that statement, Mamdani did not directly address the wording but said his responsibility as mayor is to update the public as more information becomes available. After meeting the family and reviewing the footage, he said, it was clear to him that the situation should never have been treated as a criminal matter.
An NYPD investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
Incident demonstrates need for Department of Community Safety, Mamdani says
The mayor repeatedly pointed to the incident as evidence of the need for his proposed Department of Community Safety, a plan that would shift many mental health crisis calls away from police and toward teams led by clinicians and behavioral health specialists.
Under questioning, Mamdani said the administration is exploring “co-response models” involving mental health professionals, peer counselors, and police officers, while emphasizing that NYPD would still respond to violent situations, including those involving weapons.
City Council legislation to establish the Department of Community Safety was introduced in December by Brooklyn Council Member Lincoln Restler and has more than a dozen co-sponsors. Mamdani said he supports the bill and is also looking for ways to accelerate implementation outside the legislative process.
Mamdani said the current response system is not setting our city up for success. “A person experiencing a mental health episode does not always need to be served first — or exclusively — by a police officer, he said.
The Chakraborty family has demanded that Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz decline to bring charges against their son and answer why police, rather than EMTs, were dispatched to their home.
NYPD version of events
The incident occurred at a home on the 8400 block of Parsons Boulevard in Hillcrest, within the 107th Precinct’s confines, at about 10:25 a.m. on Jan. 26.
During a press briefing following the incident, Assistant Chief Chris McIntosh recounted that a family member called police after the 22-year-old man began throwing glass against a wall during a mental health episode. When the two officers arrived at the scene, they were given entry by the 911 caller.
“The male was in the kitchen when the officers arrived. Upon seeing the officer, the male retrieved a large kitchen knife and began to advance toward the officers,” Chief McIntosh said. “A family member attempted to restrain the male, but was unsuccessful, and the male continued to advance toward officers.”
Authorities say the cops demanded the man drop the weapon, but he did not heed their commands. To create space between them, one of the officers closed a glass door. However, he allegedly burst through it and lunged at them.
“Officers issued several warnings to drop the knife and attempted to de-escalate the situation. The armed male was able to push through the closed door and continue to advance to our officers with the kitchen knife in hand,” McIntosh said. “At this point, officers discharged their weapon.”
Police stated at the time that the 22-year-old had a history of mental illness, but would not elaborate further. Mayor Mamdani confirmed Tuesday that Chakraborty has “lived with schizophrenia for many years.”
