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Queens Man Shot by Police Is Indicted as Mayor Urges Treatment Over Prosecution

The indictment has intensified debate over how New York handles 911 mental-health crises.

Overview

  • A Queens grand jury indicted Jabez Chakraborty, 22, on first-degree attempted assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
  • He pleaded not guilty during a remote arraignment from his hospital bed and is being held on $50,000 cash bail, with a return to court set for March 11.
  • NYPD body-camera video shows him picking up a large kitchen knife and advancing on officers, after which an officer fired four shots inside the family home.
  • Queens DA Melinda Katz defended proceeding with the case, citing the alleged attack and saying her office will address its mental-health component using available resources.
  • Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the family, and advocates call for dropping the charges and for care-focused responders to handle such calls, as Legal Aid reports multiple surgeries and hospital shackling under police supervision.