New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was “deeply saddened” following the death of a Rikers Island inmate who had been charged with murdering a Bronx shop owner in an allegedly unprovoked meat-cleaver attack.
The mayor addressed the inmate’s death before authorities had determined its cause.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of a New Yorker in City custody at a jail on Rikers Island early this morning,” Mamdani said. “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones as they grieve this loss.”
I am deeply saddened by the death of a New Yorker in City custody at a jail on Rikers Island early this morning. 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…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) August 25, 2026
The inmate was Clarence Woodward, a 39-year-old homeless parolee who had been charged with murder, manslaughter and assault following the brutal August 2024 attack that killed 45-year-old Jose Miranda.
Mamdani said the circumstances of Woodward’s death remained under investigation.
“We do not yet know the cause of death, but we do know that too many New Yorkers have died on Rikers Island,” he said.
Are you saddened or praying for the families of his victims? No because you are a shit stain. pic.twitter.com/A4kgeoBqFK
— Jace Comoris (@jacecomoris) August 25, 2026
According to the mayor, the Department of Correction and its oversight partners will investigate what happened. Mamdani also used the death to reiterate his administration’s commitment to improving conditions in New York City jails and closing Rikers Island “as quickly as possible.”
But Woodward’s history, and the crime he was accused of committing, quickly became part of the reaction to the mayor’s statement.
Woodward was arrested after the Aug. 8, 2024, killing at the 303 Laundromat in the Bronx.
Police said he entered the 24-hour business at approximately 2:40 a.m. and attacked two men without provocation.
Did you also express condolences to all his victims? pic.twitter.com/0JQsBIGfji
— Roger Miller
(@onlyRogerMiller) August 25, 2026
One of those men was Miranda.
Woodward allegedly attacked Miranda with a meat cleaver, stabbing him in the legs and upper body. A second victim, then 47, was wounded in the back.
Woodward fled following the attack, according to police.
There’s something seriously wrong with you.
— Cynthia (@CynthZee) August 26, 2026
Both victims were rushed to Lincoln Hospital. Miranda died from his injuries, while the second man survived.
The killing left Miranda’s family without a father of two.
A fundraiser created by his family after his death described Miranda as an artist, tattooist and barber. Woodward, meanwhile, had reportedly been released from prison only about a month before the fatal attack.
The guy you’re mourning MURDERED an innocent man in cold blood.
With a meat cleaver.
Unprovoked.
You are even more vile than your wide-load jewhatey wife. pic.twitter.com/Zz6MWZWrNS
— Clarkson Case (@clarksoncase) August 26, 2026
He was subsequently taken into custody and faced serious criminal charges, but the case had not reached a conviction before his death. That distinction matters: Woodward was accused of Miranda’s murder, not convicted of it.
Still, the mayor’s choice of words drew criticism online.
