OAN Staff Cory Hawkins and Brooke Mallory
11:07 AM – Thursday, February 5, 2026
While promoting his proposed “Department of Community Safety” this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the prosecution of Jabez Chakraborty by the Queens District Attorney.
The incident
Late last month, Chakraborty — a 22-year-old man with schizophrenia — grabbed a large knife from the kitchen and charged toward New York Police Department (NYPD) officers who had responded to his family’s 911 call for help during a mental health crisis involving erratic behavior and broken glass. The encounter escalated, and despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, Chakraborty did not follow directions, prompting officers to shoot him multiple times in self-defense.
Chakraborty survived the shooting despite sustaining serious gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in Queens, where he underwent emergency surgery on the same day and remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition afterward.
Mamdani, who visited Chakraborty in the hospital and met with his family after reviewing the body-worn camera footage, has since argued that the man requires specialized mental health treatment rather than facing criminal charges.
“In viewing this footage, it is clear to me that what Jabez needs is mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution from a district attorney, and we are talking about a family that is enduring the kind of pain that no family should and an individual that has lived with schizophrenia for many years,” Mamdani stated on Tuesday at a news conference.
“A person experiencing a mental health episode does not always have to be served first or exclusively by a police officer,” he added. “It is important for us to have all of the options available.”
The Democratic socialist mayor’s remarks reportedly alarmed conservative and moderate New Yorkers, who argue that excusing violent threats against police officers, regardless of mental health struggles, risks undermining accountability and public safety in the city.
After the incident, Chakraborty’s family placed responsibility on the NYPD, asserting that their son should have been treated by medical professionals rather than law enforcement. They further implied that police actions led to his hospitalization, though it remains unclear why they believe medical responders would not have faced the same violent circumstances.
“We called for help,” the family said. “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.”
While the Queens District Attorney’s office investigates the incident, with reports indicating they may seek an attempted murder indictment, Mayor Mamdani is still pushing for a different path. He later reiterated to reporters that the case be handled through mental health treatment rather than criminal prosecution.
“That is why I proposed creating a Department of Community Safety to build a mental health system rooted in prevention, and sustained care, and a real crisis response, so officers no longer have to handle these situations alone,” Mamdani added. “While we have been developing this implementation plan I have told my administration to speed up this work.”
When questioned about his proposed Department of Community Safety, Mamdani vaguely suggested that the NYPD would still respond to violent situations. However, he offered no further details, even when it was pointed out that first responders cannot always predict when a scene might turn violent.
“A lot of this is exactly the focus of the conversations that we’re having internally, developing out this Department of Community Safety,” the NYC mayor continued. “Additionally, I want to make clear that a person experiencing a mental health episode does not always have to be served first or exclusively by a police officer.”
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