New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash after publicly sympathizing with a man who tried to stab police officers—while the officers who were nearly killed received far less attention.
The incident occurred on Jan. 26 in Queens after NYPD officers responded to an emergency call at a residence. The suspect, 22-year-old Jabez Chakraborty, was shot by police after charging at officers while holding a large kitchen knife.
According to NYPD officials, Chakraborty’s family contacted 911 after he began throwing glass inside the home. When officers arrived, they attempted to de-escalate the situation. Police said Chakraborty was holding a knife and ignored repeated commands to drop the weapon.
Officers attempted to isolate him by closing a glass door between themselves and Chakraborty in the living room. That effort failed. Police say Chakraborty opened the door and moved toward officers with the knife extended, overwhelming them.
NYPD officials said officers did not draw their firearms until Chakraborty pulled the knife. One officer then fired several shots, striking him. After the shooting, officers immediately rendered first aid and attempted to stop the bleeding.
Chakraborty was transported to a hospital and listed in critical but stable condition. His family later said he was shot at least four times.
Watch the moment officers were forced to defend themselves as the suspect charged with a knife:
The Queens district attorney’s office opened an investigation, with preliminary reports indicating prosecutors were examining whether to seek an indictment for attempted murder.
Mayor Mamdani said Tuesday that after reviewing body camera footage, criminal prosecution was not appropriate.
“In viewing this footage, it is clear to me that what Jabez needs is mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution from a district attorney,” Mamdani said.
He added, “A person experiencing a mental health episode does not always have to be served first or exclusively by a police officer.”
What many New Yorkers are reacting to is not a debate over mental health resources, but a disturbing inversion of priorities. In this case, the people who faced a knife at close range — officers who followed protocol, attempted de-escalation, and acted only when their lives were in immediate danger — have effectively been pushed to the background. The mayor’s public sympathy flowed instead toward the man who forced that life-or-death decision.
That choice speaks volumes. When political leaders instinctively frame violent suspects as victims and law-enforcement officers as obstacles, it sends a dangerous message to both sides of the badge. Officers learn that even when they do everything by the book, City Hall may still treat them as a problem to be managed. Criminals and would-be attackers learn something else entirely.
New York City’s left-wing leadership has spent years signaling distrust toward police. The result is a city where those tasked with protecting the public are increasingly expected to absorb risk — physical, legal, and political — while elected officials offer cover to those who create chaos.
At some point, voters have to ask a simple question: if a mayor cannot clearly and unapologetically stand with officers who were nearly stabbed to death while responding to an emergency call, who exactly is he governing for?