Northeast

Mamdani calls on DA to not prosecute mentally ill man shot by police during alleged knife attack

Published

1 month ago

February 8, 2026

Mamdani calls on DA to not prosecute mentally ill man shot by police during alleged knife attack

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday that he does not believe the Queens district attorney should prosecute a mentally ill man who was shot by police as he allegedly ran toward officers with a knife, arguing that the individual needs mental health treatment instead.

Jabez Chakraborty, 22, was holding a large kitchen knife and charged at the officers who responded to the emergency call from the family on Jan. 26, NYPD officials said. The officers repeatedly told him to drop it as they attempted to de-escalate the situation before one officer fired several times, striking Chakraborty, who was then taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The family had called 911 to report that Chakraborty was throwing glass at his home on Parsons Blvd. in Briarwood, NYPD officials said, according to the New York Daily News.

After the officers responded to the home, Chakraborty charged them with the knife, according to the NYPD. The officers repeatedly instructed him to drop the weapon and attempted to isolate him in the home’s living room by closing a glass door between them and Chakraborty. But police said he managed to open the door and overwhelm the officers with the knife extended.

KNIFE-WIELDING MAN SLASHES NYPD OFFICER IN FACE WITH 14-INCH BLADE, POLICE SHOOT HIM DEAD IN PURSUIT

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not believe the Queens district attorney should prosecute a mentally ill man who was shot by police as he ran toward officers with a knife. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The officers did not draw their guns until Chakraborty pulled the knife, NYPD officials said.

The officers provided first aid and attempted to stop the bleeding following the shooting, according to the agency. He was then rushed to the hospital, where he is in critical but stable condition.

The family had asked for emergency medical workers to respond to the incident rather than police, the family said in a statement. The family said Chakraborty was shot at least four times.

“We called for help,” the family said. “We called 911 for an ambulance to provide medical attention for our son, who was in emotional distress. We did not call the police. Instead of medical responders, the NYPD arrived and shot our son multiple times right in front of us.”

Jabez Chakraborty, 22, was holding a large kitchen knife and charged at the officers who responded to the emergency call from the family. (NYPD)

The Queens district attorney’s office is investigating the incident, with preliminary reports suggesting prosecutors were looking at potentially seeking an indictment for attempted murder.

But Mamdani, who has viewed the body camera footage, said the man needs mental health treatment instead of facing criminal charges.

“In viewing this footage, it is clear to me that what Jabez needs is mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution from a district attorney, and we are talking about a family that is enduring the kind of pain that no family should and an individual that has lived with schizophrenia for many years,” the mayor said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“A person experiencing a mental health episode does not always have to be served first or exclusively by a police officer. It is important for us to have all of the options available,” he added.

WASHINGTON MAN ALLEGEDLY LURES POLICE WITH BOGUS 911 CALL, SLASHES OFFICER IN FACE

The officers repeatedly told the man to drop the weapon as they attempted to de-escalate the situation before one officer fired several times. (Susan Watts/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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The mayor also said he had met with Chakraborty’s family, who had criticized him for his initial response to the shooting. Mamdani said hours after the shooting that police had “encountered an individual wielding a knife,” and that he was “grateful to the first responders who put themselves on the line each day to keep our communities safe.”

“After all this, we saw Mayor Mamdani’s statement applauding the NYPD officers that shot our son, threatened and lied to us, and kept us from seeing our son for over 24 hours,” the family’s statement read. “Why is the mayor applauding officers who recklessly almost killed our son in front of us?”

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New York

Video: Passenger Jet and Fire Truck Crash at LaGuardia Airport, Leaving 2 Dead

Published

41 minutes ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Video: Passenger Jet and Fire Truck Crash at LaGuardia Airport, Leaving 2 Dead

new video loaded: Passenger Jet and Fire Truck Crash at LaGuardia Airport, Leaving 2 Dead

The two pilots of a Air Canada Express jet were killed after a collision with a Port Authority fire truck on Sunday at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

By Axel Boada and Monika Cvorak

March 23, 2026

Boston, MA

Bruins Sign James Hagens to AHL Amateur Tryout Agreement | Boston Bruins

Published

2 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Bruins Sign James Hagens to AHL Amateur Tryout Agreement | Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today that the Bruins have signed forward James Hagens to an AHL amateur tryout agreement (ATO).

“We’re very excited to have James join the Bruins organization and take this next step,” said Sweeney. “James is an important part of our future, and this is a great opportunity for him to get immediate experience at the professional level in Providence and continue his development, while keeping all options open.”

Hagens will join the Providence Bruins for their team practice at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Tuesday, March 24, at 10:15 a.m.

Hagens, 19, was selected by Boston in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The 5-foot-11, 193‑pound forward appeared in 34 games with Boston College this season, pacing Hockey East skaters in scoring with 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points. He also led the team with six game-winning goals, two hat tricks and 133 shots.

Hagens was named to the conference’s All-Rookie Team after posting 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) during the 2024-25 season. Across two years with Boston College (2024-26), the forward skated in 71 games, totaling 34 goals and 50 assists for 84 points.

Prior to his collegiate career, Hagens spent two seasons (2022-24) with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP), where he recorded 72 goals and 115 assists for 187 points, the fifth‑most in program history.

The Hauppauge, New York, native has represented the United States internationally in two IIHF World Junior Championships (2025, 2026) and two IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championships (2023, 2024). Hagens won gold at the 2025 World Juniors and the 2023 U-18 tournaments. He holds the IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship single‑tournament scoring record with 22 points in 2024, earning tournament MVP honors and helping the United States capture silver.

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Pittsburg, PA

The Pittsburgh Steelers Made a Splash in Free Agency

Published

2 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

The Pittsburgh Steelers Made a Splash in Free Agency

The first week of NFL free agency has passed, and Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan did not hesitate to get to work.

Big Acquisitions for Pittsburgh

Within an hour of the “legal tampering window” opening on March 9, Khan struck a deal with the Indianapolis Colts to bring wide receiver Michael Pittman to Pittsburgh. The two teams also swapped late-round picks. As part of the deal, Pittman reworked his deal to a three-year, $59 million contract. This is a move that lowers his cap hit for the upcoming season.

Hours after bringing in Pittman, the first signing was agreed to. Jamel Dean, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, agreed to a three-year, $36.75 million contract. Later the same day, Pittsburgh finalized a two-year, $12.25 million deal with Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle.

The following day, former Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker inked a one-year, $5.5 million deal to join the Steelers. Defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, previously with the Titans, later signed a two-year deal worth $11 million.

How Do These Additions Help the Steelers?

Bringing in a player like Pittman gives the Steelers the second receiving option that they have needed for the last two seasons.

Pittsburgh has been searching for a second great receiver since trading Diontae Johnson in 2023. It seemed like they had found that number two last offseason after acquiring DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. However, the Steelers later traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, leaving them in the same situation.

Pittman provides another weapon for Mike McCarthy’s offense that the defense will need to scheme around. Rather than having to worry about guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, defenses will now have to adjust for Metcalf and Pittman. This proves a stark upgrade from statistically one of the worst receivers at getting open last season.

Sticking with the offense, the signing of Rico Dowdle secures a replacement for 2025 Team MVP Kenneth Gainwell.

Pittsburgh began the search for Gainwell’s replacement after he left for the beaches of Tampa. Dowdle is coming off his second career 1000-yard season, also running for a career-high six touchdowns. Bringing in Dowdle allows the Steelers to continue the split-backfield they ran last season with Gainwell and Jaylen Warren.

Defensively, adding Dean and Brisker bolsters a secondary that was toward the bottom of the league in pass defense last season.

Dean brings consistent play across from young star Joey Porter Jr. When he’s healthy, Dean can play up to the level of other top corners across the league. Brisker will almost certainly be a starter from day one at safety, allowing Jalen Ramsey, who switched to safety in the middle of last season, to transition back to cornerback.