A mentally ill Queens man who was shot by police after he advanced on officers wielding a large kitchen knife has been charged for attempted assault — despite pleas from Mayor Mamdani for the Queens District Attorney’s Office to let the suspect off the hook.
Jabez Chakraborty, a 22-year-old diagnosed schizophrenic, was arraigned Friday, from his hospital bed on charges that also include weapon possession.
“The defendant tried to attack a police officer while holding a large knife, ignored repeated commands to drop the weapon and then forcibly pushed through the door the officer was using as a shield to protect himself,” Queens DA Melinda Katz said.
“As prosecutors, we are duty-bound to follow the facts, evidence and circumstances where they lead us, including in cases that have a mental health component. These decisions, however, must be thoughtful, deliberative and based on the expertise of mental health professionals.
“Dispositions can take vastly different forms and I will use the resources of my office to address the unique needs in this case while upholding my responsibility to keep this borough safe.”
The NYPD released body-cam footage of the police-involved shooting of Jabez Chakraborty on Jan. 26, 2026, in Queens, New York. (NYPD)
Chakraborty was shot on Jan. 26 inside his family’s Briarwood home by one of two cops who responded to a 911 call from a relative who said he was acting up and throwing glass.
But when Police Officer Tyree White and his partner got there, Chakraborty grabbed a kitchen knife and moved toward the officers, police body-worn camera video shows.
Mayor Mamdani took the unusual step of visiting Chakraborty in the hospital and talking with his family. He then publicly called on DA Katz not to prosecute Chakraborty for lunging at the cops, claiming that the young man “needs mental health care, not criminal prosecution.”
However the mayor admitted Friday that he has “not directly spoken with the district attorney” about Chakraborty’s case.
“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,” Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference when asked about Chakraborty’s possible indictment. “What they need right now is care, dignity and support.”
“Jabez should not be prosecuted by the Queens district attorney,” the mayor continued. “His handcuffs should be removed, and he should be receiving the care that he needs. And moments like this they lay bare what so many New Yorkers already know, which is that our city must build a mental health response that is rooted in prevention, in compassion and in crisis care.”
Jabez Chakraborty was shot by police on Jan. 26, 2026, in Queens. (Courtesy of the Chakraborty Family)
As Chakraborty moved toward the officers with the knife, Officer White retreated into a vestibule and slammed shut a glass-paneled door, police said, backed by what was shown on body-camera footage.
Chakraborty refused commands to drop the knife and instead opened the door and rushed toward White before he was shot.
White fired four shots, leaving Chakraborty in critical condition with wounds to his chest and lower body.
Medics rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, where he is still recovering, breathing with the help of a ventilator.
“He had multiple surgeries. It’s for the bullets,” Fahd Ahmed, director of the civil rights advocacy group Desis Rising up and Moving, told the Daily News at Queens Criminal Court Friday.
Queens DA Melinda Katz gives a press conference after the arraignment of Chakraborty on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Rebecca White / New York Daily News)
A handful of Chakraborty’s family were in the gallery, awaiting the 22-year-old’s arraignment, but declined to speak to reporters.
“(There were) four bullets but 12 bullet holes,” Ahmed said, explaining Chakraborty’s injuries. “His large intestine is obliterated. So he will be in the hospital for months.”
Since running for office, Mamdani has been calling for the creation of a Department of Community Safety that will handle calls about people in a mental or emotional crisis or who are mentally ill, taking the police out of the equation.
Chakraborty’s family has criticized the NYPD response to the incident, noting that they called 911 asking for an ambulance.
The caller, in fact, told the dispatcher that when police were previously called to the home when Chakraborty was acting erratically, an officer said she should have asked for an ambulance, according to a recording of the call released by the NYPD.
The dispatcher, however, told the family member that even when an ambulance is requested, police will also respond.
The family said police also asked them their immigration status. The NYPD said its policy is not to ask such questions.
Ahmed claimed the cops’ mere presence in Chakraborty’s home escalated the situation.
“The family called for EMS and instead they got officers,” he said. “When the family called, they were calm. When the police arrive, the family’s calm. Jabez is initially calm. And so there’s the presence of the police is sort of what escalated things.”
“The family is just feeling continually traumatized,” Ahmed added. “Not only are we worrying about his recovery, but we’re dealing with an indictment.”
The NYPD released body-cam footage of the police-involved shooting of Jabez Chakraborty on Jan. 26, 2026, in Queens, New York. (NYPD)
The fact that the Queens DA continues to want to prosecute Chakraborty “is absurd,” he said.
“What this young man needs — what he needed then — was support and treatment. He didn’t get it,” Ahmed said. “Now, he’s sitting in the hospital with multiple bullet wounds and he needs treatment and recovery and instead he’s facing the possibility of prosecution.”