NYC Mayor Mamdani under fire for defending knife-wielding suspect over police officers

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced backlash Sunday after suggesting that a mentally ill man who was shot after allegedly charging at police officers with a knife deserves mental health treatment instead of criminal prosecution.

"For Mamdani to take any position on this that would paint that police officer as doing anything but what you would teach in a course is malpractice for the position he holds, and I hope that someone holds him accountable for it," said "The Big Weekend Show" co-host Joey Jones.

Jones’ remarks came after 22-year-old Jabez Chakraborty was shot by NYPD officers in Queens for allegedly charging them with a large kitchen knife during a mental health episode — a case that has sparked debate over Mamdani’s call for treatment instead of prosecution.

Police told Fox News Digital Thursday that the family had requested an involuntary removal of their son, a request that requires both police and EMS to respond.

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The Queens district attorney’s office is investigating the incident, with preliminary reports suggesting prosecutors are considering an indictment for attempted murder.

Mamdani, however, met with Chakraborty's family and echoed their argument that he needs "mental health treatment, not criminal prosecution from a district attorney."

"We are talking about a family that is enduring the kind of pain that no family should and an individual that has lived with schizophrenia for many years," Mamdani said during a news conference last week.

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"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," he added.

Jones said Mamdani’s stance warrants visible backlash from law enforcement, comparable to officers previously turning their backs on city leaders.

Fox News contributor Guy Benson said the video makes clear that police exhausted every option before using force and argued Mamdani’s reaction shows he views the suspect — not the officer — as the primary victim.

"To then go in solidarity with the knife-wielder who ignored those orders from the police and to show up in that hospital room like he's the true victim in this rather than the police officer who finally fired his weapon in self-defense… 

"It says everything about this mayor of this town, what he sees as his worldview, who he sees as victims and aggressors, and I don't think the movie gets better from here," he said.

Mamdani made addressing the mental health crisis a key component of his 2025 campaign. 

Fox News' Landon Mion and Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.