Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration is set to release body-camera footage of a dramatic NYPD shooting in Queens that left a 22-year-old man, Jabez Chakraborty, critically injured. The move comes after widespread criticism of the mayor's initial response to the January incident, which saw Chakraborty shot at least four times by officers responding to what they described as an emergency call.
Chakraborty's family had called 911, requesting an ambulance for their son due to his emotional distress. However, when they learned that a police unit was dispatched instead of paramedics, they expressed outrage and disappointment. The family claimed that Chakraborty has long suffered from schizophrenia and needed mental health treatment, not law enforcement intervention.
Mayor Mamdani visited Chakraborty over the weekend and spoke with his family, saying that he believes the young man requires mental health support rather than prosecution. He also highlighted his plan to establish a new city agency dedicated to addressing mental health and homelessness issues, which would prioritize clinicians over police officers in responding to such calls.
The NYPD has defended its actions, stating that they followed standard procedure and only drew their guns when Chakraborty grabbed a kitchen knife. The body-camera footage, set to be released by the mayor's administration today, is expected to show the officers' efforts to de-escalate the situation before resorting to lethal force.
The release of the body-camera footage has been hailed as a positive step towards transparency and accountability in policing. However, it also raises questions about how the proposed Department of Community Safety would work in practice, particularly in situations where mental health and law enforcement converge. The case has sparked renewed debate over whether police should be involved in responding to emergency calls involving individuals with mental health issues.
Chakraborty's family had called 911, requesting an ambulance for their son due to his emotional distress. However, when they learned that a police unit was dispatched instead of paramedics, they expressed outrage and disappointment. The family claimed that Chakraborty has long suffered from schizophrenia and needed mental health treatment, not law enforcement intervention.
Mayor Mamdani visited Chakraborty over the weekend and spoke with his family, saying that he believes the young man requires mental health support rather than prosecution. He also highlighted his plan to establish a new city agency dedicated to addressing mental health and homelessness issues, which would prioritize clinicians over police officers in responding to such calls.
The NYPD has defended its actions, stating that they followed standard procedure and only drew their guns when Chakraborty grabbed a kitchen knife. The body-camera footage, set to be released by the mayor's administration today, is expected to show the officers' efforts to de-escalate the situation before resorting to lethal force.
The release of the body-camera footage has been hailed as a positive step towards transparency and accountability in policing. However, it also raises questions about how the proposed Department of Community Safety would work in practice, particularly in situations where mental health and law enforcement converge. The case has sparked renewed debate over whether police should be involved in responding to emergency calls involving individuals with mental health issues.
I gotta say, this whole thing is kinda messed up. I mean, the cops did follow protocol, but that doesn't excuse them from being super sloppy. If Chakraborty was having a mental breakdown and needed an ambulance, not police, then why did they show up instead? 
And what's with the whole "he grabbed a kitchen knife" thing? That's just an excuse for them to use excessive force. 
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. And what's with the NYPD's response? They're always so quick to defend their actions, but they should be listening to Chakraborty's family and the community instead of just sticking to their guns 
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. but at the same time, i get why there's a lot of outrage and frustration from the family and the community... it does seem like the cops overreacted, especially since they didn't even call an ambulance 
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. but now we gotta wait and see how this new agency works out... do they actually have clinicians on staff who can handle these kinds of situations? or is it just gonna be more of the same 
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like what even happened here? the family was calling for an ambulance not a police unit and then these officers show up with guns drawn ? it's just not right. but i do love that the mayor is finally taking some real action on mental health issues tho 
like this new agency could make such a huge difference in the lives of people struggling with it. but at the same time can we talk about how weird the situation was? 4 shots to the head over an emotional distress call ? that's just crazy. and what if the family wasn't even wrong? what if the police really did follow procedure but still messed up 
anyway i'm just hoping this whole thing leads to some real change and not just a bunch of lip service 
. Like, who shoots someone at least four times when they're just having a mental breakdown? 
. And now we're supposed to believe that this kid was just "grabbing a kitchen knife" and that's all it took to justify the use of deadly force? 
Give me a break.
. I just hope that releasing the body-camera footage will give us some answers...and maybe some accountability 
. We need to make sure that we're not perpetuating systemic problems when it comes to mental health and policing 
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so yeah, let's hope the city agency proposal is a step in the right direction and we can find a better way to address mental health crises without puttin' people in harm's way 
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i'm so down for this!!! mayor mamdani is like the real MVP 
his plan to establish a new agency that prioritizes clinicians over cops in handling mental health cases is like, totally genius 
i mean, who needs police when you have trained professionals who can help people in crisis?!? 
. First, you've got the juicy details about the shooting, then suddenly you're talking about the mayor's plan for a new agency... it's like they just threw everything at the wall and hoped some of it stuck 
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. I mean, who needs actual details when you can just say the cops followed procedure and it all worked out in the end? The fact that a 22-yr-old dude was shot at least four times and is now critically injured isn't exactly a great start to solving this issue... but hey, at least the mayor's administration is trying to release some footage 
. Can't wait to hear more about how this whole thing is going to play out 
. I mean, wouldn't the family want this footage out sooner? And what's with the NYPD's standard procedure excuse? 
Four shots? That's excessive, even for a potentially threatening situation. I need to see some actual proof that they followed protocol 
. Can someone give me some sources on how this agency will actually work? 
he sounds like such a vulnerable person and it's just heartbreaking that they had to go through all that trauma because of the system failing them . i'm actually kinda glad mayor mamdani is taking steps towards creating a department that prioritizes mental health support - we need more ppl advocating for this type of help & less ppl who think the first line of defense should be police officers 
. or maybe, just maybe, there's more to this story than we know... 
. It's all about de-escalation and support, right? 
. And what about the city agency? How will it be funded and staffed? 
. Now, let's see how this plays out in practice 
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my heart goes out to his family, they're going through so much pain and trauma right now. I think it's amazing that Mayor Mamdani is taking a stand for mental health support instead of prosecution - we need more leaders like him who care about people over process 
his new agency idea sounds like a great step towards addressing homelessness and mental health issues in our community 
The fact that he got shot at least 4 times by officers responding to what was supposed to be an emergency call is just mind-boggling 