JAMAICA, Queens, N.Y. – Jabez Chakraborty, 22, was arraigned from his hospital bed last Friday (Feb. 13) where he is still recovering from being shot four times in his home Jan. 26 by New York City Police Officer Tyree White. (See original Baptist Press article here.)
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz filed charges of attempted assault in the first degree, a felony that could carry a 15-year prison sentence, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor, which could result in a year’s jail term.
An attorney entered a not-guilty plea on Jabez’ behalf. Judge Jessica Earle-Gargan granted Jabez’ release from police custody with payment of a $50,000 bail, though he remains in Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit with a colostomy bag. He can’t walk or even stand on his legs, his father, Pastor Hector Chakraborty of Bangal Baptist Church in Queens, told Baptist Press. Jabez’ handcuffs and leg shackles have been removed, the Southern Baptist pastor added.
“He has a long, difficult recovery ahead,” the Chakraborty family said in a written statement. “Now DA Katz wants to put him in prison. Hasn’t he suffered enough?”
At issue is the juxtaposition of Jabez’ mental health and the possibility of prison. He has had schizophrenia since he was in junior high, a “serious mental health condition that affects how people think, feel and behave. It may result in a mix of hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and behavior,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
New York City’s Mayor Zohram Mamdani has said he doesn’t believe Jabez should be charged with a crime.
“No family should have to endure this kind of pain,” Mamdani said during a press conference on an unrelated matter. “What they need right now is care, dignity and support. Jabez should not be prosecuted by the Queen’s district attorney. … He should be receiving the care that he needs.”
Katz defended her charging decision, rhetorically asking: “What happens if we take no action and he harms someone else? Mr. Chakraborty’s actions were quite serious, and he now faces serious consequences,” according to an article in The City newspaper.
Little things, like seeing a fly or a mouse, can trigger Jabez’ schizophrenia, family members have said. When they realized they couldn’t calm him down on Jan. 26, his sister Naomi called 911 and asked for an ambulance to take Jabez to involuntary commitment at a hospital.
The 911 operator said it was standard procedure to also send police. Officers arrived before the ambulance and when Jabez saw them from the kitchen, he quickly strode towards them, carrying the knife he had been going to use to make breakfast, his father said.
When Officer White saw the 8-inch knife, Jabez’ mother within striking distance, and Jabez advance toward him, he yelled, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!”
Jabez kept coming. The officer moved back and closed the vestibule door. (A vestibule is a small space between the outer door and the home’s interior.) Jabez managed to open the door, but then stepped back to the center of the living room. Continually yelling for Jabez to let go of the knife, Officer White shot four times, but stopped when Jabez sank onto the couch.
“I have talked with Pastor Hector several times and have tried to reassure him that despite what it looks like right now, God’s grace will see his family through this harrowing experience,” Baptist Convention of New York Executive Director Frank Williams told Baptist Press. “As a state convention we have been praying for this family ever since this unfortunate incident occurred. We will continue to stand in prayerful and in public support of Pastor Hector and his family.”
Karen L. Willoughby is a national correspondent for Baptist Press.