Mamdani ignites online firestorm after mourning death of inmate charged in grisly murder: 'WTF are we doing?'
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew ire from conservatives on Tuesday for mourning the death of a man who was awaiting trial on murder charges.
"I am deeply saddened by the death of a New Yorker in City custody at a jail on Rikers Island early this morning," Mamdani posted on X.
Clarence Woodward, the man Mamdani was referencing, was arrested in 2024 and charged with murder, manslaughter and assault in connection with an unprovoked meat cleaver attack at a Bronx laundromat. At the time, Woodward had 27 prior arrests and had received parole just a month prior to the alleged killing. Woodward had pleaded not guilty to the charges and had not been convicted.
"My thoughts are with his family and loved ones as they grieve this loss. We do not yet know the cause of death, but we do know that too many New Yorkers have died on Rikers Island. The Department of Correction and its oversight partners will investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. Our administration is fully committed to the critical work of creating better conditions in our city’s jail system and closing Rikers Island as quickly as possible."
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As of Thursday morning, Mamdani’s post has been viewed over 3.2 million times, with the majority of comments expressing outrage over Mamdani offering condolences to the inmate.
"I wonder if he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the murder this guy committed," New York City Councilwoman Vicky Paladino wrote. "Can’t find a tweet about that one."
"He’s sad that someone who murdered an innocent American with a meat cleaver is dead," conservative commentator Eyal Yakoby posted. "What are we even doing?"
"Commie Mamdani is ‘deeply saddened’ that a guy who murdered a guy with a meat cleaver had a medical emergency in jail," failed Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt said in response to the post. "We cannot have leaders who weep for murderers. WTF are we doing?"
"A father of two was hacked to death with a meat cleaver after his killer was repeatedly paroled," GOP strategist and attorney Mehek Cooke posted on X. "And you think the real villain is the jail?"
The criticism comes weeks after Mamdani faced similar backlash for visiting Rikers Island, where he spoke with inmates during a World Cup semifinal watch party in July.
While conservatives on social media were unhappy with Mamdani’s statement, officials and community activists have long raised concerns about the conditions on Rikers Island. Many, for instance, point out that many of the individuals being held there are awaiting trial and thus entitled to a presumption of innocence.
"Our people are dying while under the custody of the Department of Corrections from medical neglect, physical abuse and unsafe conditions," one community activist said in June 2025 about Rikers Island.
"People shouldn't keep dying in the same facility while awaiting a fair trial," the chief research editor of Rolling Stone magazine wrote on X.
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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.
"On the same day Mamdani was mourning a murderer who had a medical emergency in jail, another murderer was out taking more innocent lives after NYC leftists cut him loose early despite at least a dozen prior arrests and a history of violent crime," Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts posted, referencing a parolee police were seeking in connection with two deadly robberies in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.