Outrage over virtual court appearance of Bangladeshi shooting victim Jabez from hospital bed in New York

Abu Sabet: The virtual arraignment of 22-year-old Bangladeshi youth Jabez Chakraborty, who was shot by police while seeking medical help in New York, has sparked widespread outrage. Chakraborty appeared in court via video from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from multiple gunshot wounds and surgeries.

His family alleges that despite being critically injured and undergoing several operations, he is now being subjected to “double punishment” through criminal charges.

Following his video court appearance, his mother, Julie Chakraborty, issued a statement on behalf of the family.

“This is a nightmare,” she said. “We didn’t need police — we just needed medical transport. When we called 911 for an ambulance, we never imagined we would end up here.”

She added, “Jabez and our family were safe inside our home until the NYPD arrived. Now Jabez is recovering from multiple surgeries, handcuffed to a hospital bed. He has a long and difficult recovery ahead. Yet Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz wants to send him to prison. Hasn’t he suffered enough? Locking him up will destroy his life. All we want is for him to heal.”

The family described the incident as deeply traumatizing.

“We saw Jabez being shot right in front of us,” Julie said. “Afterward, the NYPD questioned us about our immigration status, confiscated our phones, and prevented us from seeing him. Now he is unjustly charged, and we are being forced to pay bail to the same system that harmed him.”

She questioned the District Attorney’s decision, stating, “Does DA Katz have no heart? Why does she want to further punish a young man who has already endured so much? We demand that all charges against Jabez be dropped and that he be unshackled while he recovers.”

Jabez Chakraborty’s civil attorney, Gideon Oliver, criticized the prosecution.

“DA Katz’s rushed and secret indictment, along with the request to remand him, are both unnecessary and unconscionable,” Oliver said. “Jabez needs real help — not incarceration. We urge her to do the right thing and drop the charges.”

Fahd Ahmed, Executive Director of Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), said the system has failed Jabez at every level.

“Instead of supporting his recovery, the DA is further punishing him,” Ahmed said. “Jabez needed quality health and mental health care. He was not a threat to his family — he was safe at home until the NYPD arrived. What purpose does it serve to punish someone who sought medical and mental health assistance but received bullets instead? This is not an isolated incident; it is a devastating example of systemic failure.”

Justice Committee Executive Director Loyda Colón also criticized city officials.

“We know that the presence of armed police can escalate mental health crises,” she said. “Yet the city continues to place the NYPD at the center of mental health response and then blame victims of police violence. Jabez needed care and was safe at home — just like Win Rozario, Mohamed Bah, Iman Morales, and many others. When elected officials prioritize the NYPD over the lives and well-being of New Yorkers, outcomes like this become inevitable.”

She called on District Attorney Katz to drop the charges and urged Mayor Mamdani to fulfill his campaign promise to remove the NYPD from mental health crisis response systems.

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