New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing strong pushback from critics after posting his condolences for the death of a man in jail who was charged with robbing an autistic man who was murdered during an ambush attack."A person in City custody died yesterday evening following a court appearance in Queens," Mamdani posted on X on Thursday."Department of Correction staff performed CPR until emergency medical services arrived to take him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
I extend my condolences to his family.In line with standard practice, the DOC and its oversight partners will investigate the circumstances of his death.
"The vast majority of social media users who replied to the post took issue with Mamdani not providing more details about the alleged crime.The individual who died was Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo, who faced charges of murder, manslaughter, and robbery related to the 2025 murder of 26-year-old Ron Marte, a man with special needs, the New York Post reported.Prosecutors allege Castillo and his accomplice Axel Martinez ambushed Marte in the Bronx’s Starlight Park as he walked home from work, with Martinez shooting him in the chest while Castillo took his cellphone.CITY-RUN BOARD CANCELS LEASE OF ISRAEL DRONE SUPPLIER, SPARKING BACKLASH TOWARD MAMDANI: 'LUDICROUS'New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaking with inmates on Rikers Island while they watch a World Cup semifinal soccer match on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in New York.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)Mamdani’s critics highlighted the post as an example of the mayor showing more concern for suspected criminals than victims."Again!" Fox Business anchor David Asman posted on X."I thought somewhere in the beginning of ‘An Idiot’s Guide to Being Mayor’ here’s a suggestion: ‘Display sympathy for the victims; Not the criminals.’""Didn’t he murder a 26 year old special needs man?" Jewish advocacy group StopAntisemitism posted on X.MAMDANI SETS INTERNET ABLAZE WITH VIDEO EXPL...