New York City Police Department Releasing Graphic Video of Shooting a 22-Year-Old Man in Mental Health Crisis
The NYPD on Tuesday released body-camera footage of the shooting of 22-year-old Jabez Chakraborty, a man who was experiencing a mental health crisis when he was shot by police officers. The video shows Chakraborty being calm and cooperative with his family as they prepare a meal in their kitchen. However, immediately upon seeing the police arrive, Chakraborty picks up a knife and moves towards them, ignoring calls from his family to stop.
The police officers quickly responded by attempting to de-escalate the situation, but it appears that no further dialogue took place before one of the officers fired four shots at Chakraborty. The video does not show any questioning of Chakraborty after the shooting and has sparked widespread criticism from the community.
Chakraborty's family had initially called 911 reporting a break-in, but police arrived instead of emergency responders, who were specifically requested by the family to assist with a mental health crisis. The NYPD claims that they responded because the request for an "involuntary removal" triggered a police response, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expedited the release of the video after the family complained that their phones had been searched and immigration-related questions were asked after the incident. He emphasized Chakraborty's diagnosis with schizophrenia and expressed regret over the use of force.
The police union has defended the officers, stating that they acted professionally and with restraint under difficult circumstances. However, activists are drawing parallels to a similar shooting in March 2024 where a 19-year-old was killed by police responding to a mental health call in Ozone Park.
An investigation into the use of force is currently underway, although it will not examine whether any immigration-related questions were asked of the family or if their phones were improperly searched.
The NYPD on Tuesday released body-camera footage of the shooting of 22-year-old Jabez Chakraborty, a man who was experiencing a mental health crisis when he was shot by police officers. The video shows Chakraborty being calm and cooperative with his family as they prepare a meal in their kitchen. However, immediately upon seeing the police arrive, Chakraborty picks up a knife and moves towards them, ignoring calls from his family to stop.
The police officers quickly responded by attempting to de-escalate the situation, but it appears that no further dialogue took place before one of the officers fired four shots at Chakraborty. The video does not show any questioning of Chakraborty after the shooting and has sparked widespread criticism from the community.
Chakraborty's family had initially called 911 reporting a break-in, but police arrived instead of emergency responders, who were specifically requested by the family to assist with a mental health crisis. The NYPD claims that they responded because the request for an "involuntary removal" triggered a police response, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expedited the release of the video after the family complained that their phones had been searched and immigration-related questions were asked after the incident. He emphasized Chakraborty's diagnosis with schizophrenia and expressed regret over the use of force.
The police union has defended the officers, stating that they acted professionally and with restraint under difficult circumstances. However, activists are drawing parallels to a similar shooting in March 2024 where a 19-year-old was killed by police responding to a mental health call in Ozone Park.
An investigation into the use of force is currently underway, although it will not examine whether any immigration-related questions were asked of the family or if their phones were improperly searched.
... you got this young dude just trying to cope with his demons and the system comes at him like a sledgehammer 
... no understanding, no compassion, just a whole lot of fear and de-escalation techniques that clearly didn't work in this case 
... what's even more disturbing is the family was asking for help from 911 but got cops instead 
... it's like they're not even equipped to handle these kinds of situations 
... a lot of questions need answering here, like what triggered that response and why did no one try to talk him down before things escalated? 
... this is more than just a tragic event, it's a reflection of our society's priorities and how we treat those struggling with mental health issues 
...
I'm saying, can we take a step back and look at this from a different angle? The NYPD is getting roasted for releasing the video, but what's really being scrutinized here is how quickly they responded to a mental health crisis 
. I mean, that family called 911 because they thought there was a break-in, not because Jabez was having a meltdown 
. It's crazy how we automatically assume that police are always right in these situations.
Those same officers are now facing an investigation for using excessive force 
. What's being lost here is that this young man was suffering and needed help, not a hail of bullets 
. We need to talk about why our mental health system is so broken and how we can support people in crisis without resorting to violence 
.
... and what's with the phone thing, shouldn't they be focusing on Jabez's mental health crisis instead of asking immigration questions? 
... I mean I'm all for community engagement but releasing the video like that seems kinda insensitive... maybe they should've just let it play out a bit more before we see this raw footage on social media 
...
so now we know what happens when the 'system' decides to prioritize protocol over actual help for someone who's clearly having a meltdown... 22 years old, living with schizophrenia, and he still gets shot by the very people supposed to be helping him 
. And btw, can we please just talk about how convenient it is that they were able to get his diagnosis out there so quickly? seems like a major distraction from the real issue at hand...
This latest video from the NYPD has got me thinking - what's really going on here? On one hand, you've got a young man who's clearly in distress, struggling with his mental health, and then you've got trained officers responding with force. Four shots! Can't imagine how traumatic that must be for his family and loved ones.
. why does it always have to end in gunshots? shouldn't we be trying to find alternatives? like talking it out or calling a mental health hotline? 
the fam is already dealing with immigration stuff too... that's just a whole nother level of stress 
.
. We can't just rely on law enforcement to respond; we need a more nuanced approach that prioritizes support and understanding over aggression 
. The fact that the police union is defending the officers' actions just reinforces my worries – what's being taught to these officers, exactly? 
. How many times did Chakraborty interact with the officers before they shot him? What was going on with that phone search and immigration questions? We deserve answers, fam! 
.
.
. Can't we just have a decent, respectful conversation for once? 
...