The 22-year-old man who was shot by NYPD officers in Jamaica last month was arraigned on multiple charges from his hospital bed on Friday.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office charged Jabez Chakraborty with attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty during a virtual arraignment.
What You Need To Know
Jabez Chakraborty, 22, was arraigned from his hospital bed on Friday after NYPD officers shot him last month
He faces charges of attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon after the incident at his Queens home on Jan. 26
Body worn camera showed Jabez Chakraborty lunging at the officers with a knife, according to authorities
He is being held on $50,000 cash bail and is expected back in court on March 11
Police said Jabez Chakraborty, who has struggled with mental illness, lunged at two officers while holding a knife inside his Parsons Boulevard home on Jan. 26. A family member had called 911, who they say was breaking glass and experiencing a mental health crisis, and asked for an involuntary transfer, according to his attorneys with The Legal Aid Society.
Body camera video showed police officers being invited into the home after knocking. Moments later, Jabez Chakraborty was seen charging at them with a knife while another person tried to restrain him.
The officers were seen on camera drawing their weapons, ordering Jabez Chakraborty to drop the knife and closing a glass door to separate themselves from him. They were heard in the video ordering him to put down the knife again, but he did not, according to authorities.
The officers then fired at Jabez Chakraborty when the glass door reopened, the video showed.
“This has all been so traumatizing. We are all traumatized now. We witnessed Jabez be shot right in front of our eye,” his mother, Juli Chakraborty, told NY1.
District Attorney Melinda Katz had asked that Chakraborty be held without bail during his virtual hearing. A judge rejected the request, saying he had no prior criminal record and was clearly suffering from a psychiatric illness.
“What happens if we take no action and he harms someone else?” Katz said about her request. “Mr. Chakraborty’s conduct in this case was quite serious, and it prompted a likewise serious response from my office.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani previously said Jabez Chakraborty needs treatment, not criminal prosecution.
“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. His handcuffs should be removed and he should be receiving the care he needs,” he said.
Juli Chakraborty also called for the charges to be dropped.
“He’s only 22 years old; he’s already terrified; he’s scared; he’s crying, ‘Mommy, help!’ Our family is demanding she drops the charges against Jabez and that he will be unshackled. He recovers,” she said.
Chakraborty is being held on $50,000 bail and is due back in court on March 11.