Queens Politician Calls on DA to Rethink Charges Against Mentally Ill Man Shot in Police Encounter

In a recent development that underscores the ongoing debate around mental health and law enforcement, Mayor Mamdani is advocating for compassion over criminal charges for a mentally ill individual involved in a violent incident with the NYPD. The mayor is appealing to the Queens District Attorney to refrain from prosecuting Jabez Chakraborty, a 22-year-old man with schizophrenia who was critically injured during a confrontation with police. He argues that Chakraborty requires mental health treatment rather than facing criminal charges.

The incident, which is under scrutiny from the Queens District Attorney’s office, saw Chakraborty being shot after he allegedly ran toward officers wielding a knife. The DA’s office is investigating the situation and considering the potential for an attempted murder charge. However, details remain scarce as representatives have declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

Mayor Mamdani, in a heartfelt social media post on Monday, revealed his visit to Chakraborty at the hospital and his meeting with the family over the weekend. “No family should experience such pain,” the mayor expressed, emphasizing the importance of addressing mental health issues with care. He also announced the expedited release of NYPD body camera footage from the January 26 incident, a rare move meant to foster transparency. “Jabez has lived with schizophrenia for many years,” Mamdani noted, highlighting the complexities of the case.

The confrontation unfolded after Chakraborty’s family made a distress call to 911, reporting that he was acting erratically and throwing glass within their Briarwood home. When officers arrived at the scene, Chakraborty reportedly charged at them with a large kitchen knife. The police attempted to de-escalate the situation by ordering him to drop the weapon and trying to contain him by closing a glass door. Despite these efforts, Chakraborty forced open the door, advancing on the officers with the knife, which led to the critical escalation.

Cops shot and critically wounded Chakraborty after responding to a 911 call from the family that he was throwing glass inside his home on Parsons Blvd. in Briarwood.

When the officers responded, Chakraborty charged at them with a large kitchen knife, according to the NYPD. The officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon, and tried to isolate him in the home’s living room by closing a glass door between them. But he forced open the door and overwhelmed the officers with the knife extended, police said.

Responding officers didn’t draw their weapons until Chakraborty pulled the kitchen knife, NYPD officials say.

After shooting Chakraborty, the officers provided first aid, and even used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, NYPD Assistant Chief Chris McIntosh said the day of the shooting.

Medics rushed Chakraborty to an area hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.

The NYPD released a photo of the knife.

The activist group Desis Rising Up & Moving released an angry statement from Chakraborty’s family Friday. The family said they were “shocked and outraged by the NYPD’s treatment” of Chakraborty.

“We called for help. We called 911 for an ambulance to provide medical attention for 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 right in front of us,” the family statement said.

“While our son lay shot on the floor, the NYPD acted like ICE, interrogating us on what country we were from, when we last visited, and whether our daughter was born here,” the family claimed in their statement.

Responding to these claims, the NYPD said relatives were told when they called 911 that both EMS and the police were responding to the call.

“When police officers arrived at the location, they asked if they could enter the apartment and the family gave them permission to enter,” a department spokeswoman said.

A neighbor shoveling snow outside his home saw four officers rush into Chakraborty’s home just moments before the shooting.

“The whole incident was over in like 20 seconds. It happened so fast. I was just surprised,” said the neighbor, who wished not to be named. “Within a few seconds, I heard, ‘Drop the knife! Drop the knife!’” THe neighbor then heard multiple shots from police.

After the shooting, prosecutors from the Queens District Attorney’s office showed up and “instructed NYPD officers to take cell phones at the location,” the NYPD said.

“Multiple family members signed voluntary consent forms to turn over their phones,” the department said. “The NYPD reviewed all the body-worn camera footage from the incident, and there is zero evidence that any member of the NYPD asked anyone about immigration status or asked any other inappropriate questions.”

When reached Saturday, Chakraborty’s family would not comment on the shooting.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Mamdani in a tweet called Chakraborty “an individual wielding a knife” and said he was “grateful to the first responders who put themselves on the line each day to keep our communities safe.”

In the family’s statement, they blasted Mamdani for that response.

“After all this, we saw Mayor Mamdani’s statement applauding the NYPD officers that shot our son, threatened and lied to us, and kept us from seeing our son for over 24 hours,” the family statement read. “Why is the Mayor applauding officers who recklessly almost killed our son in front of us?”

It’s rare for the NYPD to release body-worn camera footage of a police-involved shooting within a week.  A city policy in 2020 mandated that the footage be released within 30 days, but the release can be delayed because of criminal investigations.

In Monday’s post, Mamdani brought up his plans for the new Department of Community Safety, which he’s been promoting since he ran for Mayor. Mamdani said Monday the department would be “rooted in prevention, sustained care and crisis response — and one in which officers are not burdened with responding to such crises alone.”

A starting date for the new unit has not been determined.

The city currently has a Behavioral Health Assistance Response Division, also known as the B-HEARD program, in which mental health professionals are paired with city EMTs to respond to calls about non-violent patients in mental and emotional distress. The NYPD is also notified to to respond if the patient starts acting violent.

B-HEARD began as a pilot program in June 2021 and has since expanded to 31 precincts across four boroughs, according to the agency’s website.

The program runs seven days a week, 16 hours a day, but is not yet operating in the 107th Precinct, where Chakraborty lives.

It was announced that by this coming spring, EMS members would be removed from the B-HEARD teams. EMS will only be called in during a medical emergency.

As of June, B-HEARD teams have responded to 35,000 mental health 911 calls. Out of that number, 43% patients were treated at the scene without having to be transported to a hospital.

With Rocco Parascandola, Josephine Stratman and Rebecca White