Mayor Questions NYPD Response to Schizophrenic Man Shot with Knife

Incident Overview

• 🎯 A 22-year-old man experiencing a mental crisis was shot by NYPD officers in Queens after allegedly lunging at them with a kitchen knife.
• ⚠️ Police stated the man refused to drop the weapon after being asked.

Mayor's Concerns and Proposals

• 💬 Mayor Mamdani expressed serious concerns and questions about the shooting incident, emphasizing the need for protocol changes.
• 🏥 He visited the wounded man and his family, highlighting the family's pain and the need for mental health treatment over criminal prosecution.
• 💡 The mayor is pushing for a new agency, a Department of Community Safety, to better handle mental health and homeless crises, aiming for prevention, sustained care, and effective crisis response.

Family's Outrage

• 😡 The family of the 22-year-old man stated they called 911 for medical attention, not police intervention.
• 💔 They are shocked and outraged that instead of medical responders, NYPD officers arrived and shot their son multiple times.

Expert and Official Reactions

• 🗣️ Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce acknowledged the dynamic nature of such encounters, stressing the need for police presence to ensure officer safety.
• 📹 The release of police body camera video from the incident was promised for the day of the report.
• ⚖️ The Queens DA's office offered no comment on potential charges.