Mamdani in hot seat over post mourning death of inmate charged with callous crime: 'Absolutely shameful'

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.

Mamdani's critics highlighted the post as an example of the mayor showing more concern for suspected criminals than victims.

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's office for comment.

Mamdani has been outspoken about his efforts to improve safety and living conditions across the jail system and has made several moves he says will accomplish that, including ending 12-hour shifts for correctional staff, addressing the practice of housing people of different ages together, moving to close Rikers Island, and strengthening oversight under the federal Nunez monitoring agreement.

His administration has begun transferring unused Rikers facilities out of the Department of Correction's control and opened a 104-bed therapeutic housing unit at Bellevue Hospital to provide incarcerated people with specialized medical care.

New York City has been legally committed since 2019 to closing Rikers and replacing it with four smaller borough-based jails, a plan Mamdani has pledged to accelerate. Critics argue the move would leave the city with fewer jail cells and make it more difficult to tackle crime.

Fox News Digital's Robert Schmad contributed to this report