Body-Camera Footage of NYPD Shooting of 22-Year-Old Man in Mental Health Crisis Released
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) on Tuesday released the body-camera footage showing the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man, Jabez Chakraborty, whose family had sought mental health assistance. The shocking video captures the tense moments leading up to the officer's deadly response.
According to authorities, police were called to Chakraborty's home in Queens after someone reported a man breaking glass. However, upon arrival, officers encountered a distraught individual who was having a mental breakdown. Despite his family members' attempts to intervene and calm him down, Chakraborty picked up a kitchen knife and approached the police, prompting them to fire four shots.
The footage reveals that when officers entered the home, they found Chakraborty in the kitchen helping his family with an unknown task. However, as soon as he saw the police, he turned towards them with the knife, ignoring his loved ones' pleas to stop.
The released video does not show any questioning by the police and ends abruptly after the officer fires the fatal shots. The NYPD has maintained that Chakraborty's family requested an "involuntary removal," which automatically triggered a police response.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expedited the release of the footage, citing concerns from the family about being asked immigration-related questions and having their phones searched without justification. The Mayor emphasized that Chakraborty was diagnosed with schizophrenia and should have received mental health support instead of a police response.
The incident has sparked calls for an investigation into the use of force by the NYPD, as well as potential misconduct on the part of the officers involved. Family members and activists have drawn parallels to the shooting of Win Rozario, another young man from the same Bangladeshi Christian community who was killed by NYPD officers responding to a mental health call in March 2024.
The PBA President has defended the officers' actions, stating that they were forced to act under "terrible circumstances" with no time for de-escalation. However, critics argue that the police response was disproportionate and unjustified given Chakraborty's mental state at the time.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) on Tuesday released the body-camera footage showing the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man, Jabez Chakraborty, whose family had sought mental health assistance. The shocking video captures the tense moments leading up to the officer's deadly response.
According to authorities, police were called to Chakraborty's home in Queens after someone reported a man breaking glass. However, upon arrival, officers encountered a distraught individual who was having a mental breakdown. Despite his family members' attempts to intervene and calm him down, Chakraborty picked up a kitchen knife and approached the police, prompting them to fire four shots.
The footage reveals that when officers entered the home, they found Chakraborty in the kitchen helping his family with an unknown task. However, as soon as he saw the police, he turned towards them with the knife, ignoring his loved ones' pleas to stop.
The released video does not show any questioning by the police and ends abruptly after the officer fires the fatal shots. The NYPD has maintained that Chakraborty's family requested an "involuntary removal," which automatically triggered a police response.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expedited the release of the footage, citing concerns from the family about being asked immigration-related questions and having their phones searched without justification. The Mayor emphasized that Chakraborty was diagnosed with schizophrenia and should have received mental health support instead of a police response.
The incident has sparked calls for an investigation into the use of force by the NYPD, as well as potential misconduct on the part of the officers involved. Family members and activists have drawn parallels to the shooting of Win Rozario, another young man from the same Bangladeshi Christian community who was killed by NYPD officers responding to a mental health call in March 2024.
The PBA President has defended the officers' actions, stating that they were forced to act under "terrible circumstances" with no time for de-escalation. However, critics argue that the police response was disproportionate and unjustified given Chakraborty's mental state at the time.
. Four shots? Can you imagine if it was your kid or a friend who just snapped under pressure? I feel so sorry for Jabez' family, who are already dealing with their own trauma and mental health struggles. The police response is not just about saving lives but also about handling situations that require compassion and empathy 
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. If someone's having a mental breakdown, shouldn't they be taken to a safe space with support rather than being met with force? And what's up with the lack of questioning by the police? Shouldn't they have been trying to understand what was going on instead of just reacting?
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in 2025 we're still debating whether the cops should've handled a guy having a meltdown like he's a threat to national security lol. newsflash: having a knife doesn't automatically mean you're gonna hurt someone unless you actually intend to 
but hey, who needs common sense when you've got a "request for involuntary removal" 
sounds like an excuse to me btw why do we always have to prioritize the cop's narrative? shouldn't it be about what really happened in that moment? 
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. can we pls talk about de-escalation techniques here? why did they even need to pull their guns out in the first place? 
& btw, why is it always the mental health crisis that turns into police brutality? 
... I mean, what if the family really did ask for an "involuntary removal" but it was more than just a request? What if there's some hidden agenda here that we don't know about yet? The fact that the Mayor had to expedite the release of the footage because of immigration-related questions is already raising red flags. And what about the officer who fired the fatal shots? Was he really under "terrible circumstances" or was it just a case of him panicking and overreacting? 
they're trying to say he was armed but the footage shows him being all calm and just holding a knife, it's like they were waiting for an excuse to shoot him 
this is so sad what happened to Jabez... it's like he needed help not a cop shootout his fam is still grieving 
and what's with the "involuntary removal" thing? sounds like a convenient excuse to me