Pulse-Pounding Body Cam Footage Shows the Moment NYPD Officer Shoots Knife-Wielding Man in Self-Defense
Body cam footage shows an NYPD officer shooting a knife-wielding man in self-defense. Credit: NYPD
Terrifying bodycam footage surfaced this week showing an NYPD officer shooting a man in self-defense, drawing a controversial response from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
According to Fox News, the NYPD released the video Tuesday, documenting an incident that took place in Queens on January 26. Officers were responding to an emergency call from a family reporting that 22-year-old Jabez Chakraborty was experiencing a mental health episode and had thrown a glass against a wall.
The video shows two officers approaching the home and calmly knocking on the door. A woman answers and allows them inside.
Inside the living room, Chakraborty is seen holding a knife. Officers repeatedly order him to “put the knife down,” but he ignores their commands. The woman attempts to restrain him, but he continues advancing toward the police. One officer closes a door to block him.
Chakraborty then breaks through the door and approaches the officer with the knife. Fearing for his life, the officer fires, striking Chakraborty four times.
Chakraborty was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he remains in intensive care in stable but critical condition.
Mayor Mamdani addressed the incident at a press conference Tuesday, advocating against criminal charges for Chakraborty. “In viewing this footage, it is clear to me that what Jabez needs is mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution from a district attorney,” he said. “We are talking about a family enduring pain no family should face and an individual who has lived with schizophrenia for many years.”
He added, “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.” Mamdani said he had met with Chakraborty and his family.
Mayor Mamdani just visited a man who got shot while charging at a cop with a knife pic.twitter.com/VYbJFHPGbW
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 4, 2026
Chakraborty’s family criticized the NYPD in a statement Wednesday, claiming the officers “escalated” the situation while absolving him of blame. “Rather than de-escalate the situation, the officer instead further escalated by drawing his gun and yelling orders at Jabez,” they wrote. “Within a minute of the NYPD’s arrival, Jabez was shot multiple times and almost killed, while he was calmly eating food just minutes earlier.”
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