NEW YORK (PIX11) — Activists who have been standing with the man who was shot in the Bronx by an off-duty police officer say he is now brain-dead.
They are calling out the mayor specifically for not speaking up for a black person.
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A new exclusive video from PIX11 appears to show the off-duty police officer approach a person in a white car. They briefly scuffle, and then the sound of gunfire is obscured by a passing bus. As the car drives away later on, more gunshots ring out.
The officer was assigned to the protection detail of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Mayor Zoran Mamdani.
Criminal justice advocates rallied at Gracie on Thursday, calling out the mayor for not commenting on the shooting that happened Monday night.
“This officer was not on duty. This officer shot someone who is currently brain-dead. This officer worked right here in Gracie Mansion,” said Hawk Newsom, activist of Black Lives Matter NY
They say the mayor was quick to visit Jabez Chakraborty, the Queen’s man with schizophrenia who charged officers with a knife— the mayor also made clear he does not believe Chakraborty should face criminal charges.
“It seems like the mayor cares about other communities, but not black and brown people,” said Rev. Kevin McCall, a social justice activist.
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City Hall sources say mayors historically do not comment on potentially criminal matters involving city employees who are off duty— and let the proper process play out.
During a press conference, the mayor was pressed on the Bronx shooting.
“I’m incredibly troubled by the incident, and I’m glad that the NYPD is investigating it. The officer has been suspended in the interim, and what I want to say is that this will be a city that cares for each and every person that calls at home, and we know that for far too long we have not recognized the fact that black history and New York City history are one in the same,” said Mayor Mamdani.
The mayor also drew a direct line between himself and Mayor David Dinkins, the city’s first black mayor, and the first democratic socialist ahead of Mamdani.
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