Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist leading the race for New York mayor, tried to distance himself from past criticism of the NYPD, two days after a mass shooting at a midtown office building left five people dead,

Mamdani has faced backlash over his past comments critical of the NYPD following the city’s deadliest mass shooting in 25 years, where four people, including an off-duty police officer, were killed in Midtown Manhattan.

Four people were killed and a fifth seriously wounded in a shooting Monday at a Midtown Manhattan office tower. A New York City police officer is among the victims. Law enforcement received a call reporting shots fired at around 6:28 p.