Socialist mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday explicitly backed down from his unpopular past “defund the police” stance in the wake of a Midtown mass shooting that left four dead, including an NYPD officer.

Back from Uganda, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, sought to reassure voters concerned that his left-leaning policies would endanger the city’s safety.