A Queens grand jury on Friday indicted the Briarwood man who was shot in his home on Jan. 26 after advancing toward police officers with a large knife.
Jabez Chakraborty, 22, was later arraigned in his bed at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he remains in recovery from four gunshot wounds.
He has been charged with first-degree attempted assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and is due to appear again on March 11. The office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Chakraborty has a history of mental issues. The family and even Mayor Mamdani have been saying that the case should not be prosecuted.
“As alleged, 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 a door the officer was using as a shield to protect himself,” Katz said in Friday’s press release. “The officer then discharged his weapon and hit Jabez Chakraborty four times.”
Her statement says police ordered him at least eight separate times to put the knife down.
“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.”
Published reports state that Queens Supreme Court Justice Jessica Earle-Gargan set bail at $50,000. The DA’s office requested remand, but Earle-Gargan cited Chakraborty’s lack of prior criminal convictions.
A family member had called 911 on Jan. 26 requesting an involuntary removal. A recording the call released on Feb. 3 included a 911 operator informing her that police and EMS both are dispatched for such calls.
Katz’s description reflects a segment of body camera footage that was released the same day as the 911 recording.
The video shows officers being let into the house upon their arrival, at which time Chakraborty grabs a knife and walks toward the cops with a family member unable to restrain him.
The family has been speaking through Desis Rising Up and Moving, an advocacy for the city’s South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities.
The family has called for removing police from such responses. Julie Chakraborty, Jabez’s mother, made a statement through DRUM Friday evening.
“This is a nightmare,” she said on Facebook. “We didn’t need police, we just needed medical transport. When we called 911 for an ambulance, we never could have imagined that we would end up here today.
“Jabez and our family were safe in our home until the NYPD arrived. Now Jabez is recovering from multiple surgeries, handcuffed to a hospital bed. He has a long, difficult recovery ahead. Now, DA Katz wants to put him in prison. Hasn’t he suffered enough? Locking him up will destroy his life. All we want is for him to be able to heal.”
The NYPD asserts that the video and the 911 recording support their officers’ actions and disprove multiple claims by the family.
Mayor Mamdani, questioned at an unrelated press conference, repeated his belief that Chakraborty should not be charged. He also pushed again for the creation of his proposed Department of Public Safety, which he has yet to flesh out in detail.
“I have not directly spoken with the district attorney,” Mamdani said in a video posted by Channel 7 Eyewitness News. “I will say, however that no family should have to endure this kind of pain. What they need right now is care, dignity and support. Jabez should not be prosecuted by the Queens district attorney.”