Win Rozario’s Family Reacts to Disturbing Bodycam Footage: ‘Police Created a Crisis and Killed Him’

New York Attorney General Letitia James has released body-worn camera footage from an incident involving members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the late Win Rozario. The footage, part of an ongoing investigation, relates to the events of March 27, 2024, in Queens, where Mr. Rozario tragically lost his life following an encounter with the police.

The incident unfolded after NYPD officers responded to a 911 call at the intersection of 103rd Street and 101st Avenue. Mr. Rozario had called 911 during a mental health crisis. Upon arrival, the officers confronted Mr. Rozario, who was reportedly holding a pair of scissors. The confrontation escalated, leading to two officers discharging their service weapons. Mr. Rozario was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers retrieved a pair of scissors at the scene.

“The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released videos from body-worn cameras that the NYPD officers were equipped with during the incident. The release of these videos follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office in the course of an OSI investigation be released to the public in order to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters,”states the announcement from New York Attorney General Letitia James.

To view the video, please click on this link. Please be advised that the video contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers.

“It’s been over a month since we lost Win, and our hearts are broken. We feel his absence every day. Reliving this is traumatic and painful. We wish it wasn’t necessary for the video to be public. The video makes it clear that Win should be alive. The police came and murdered him in our kitchen without any care for him or us. The police created a crisis and killed him in cold blood. The officers should be fired and prosecuted for murder as soon as possible,” said the statement from Win Rozario’s family, including Notan Ava Costa, Utsho Rozario, and Francis Rozario.

“The footage is horrifying—this was an execution,” stated Loyda Colon, Executive Director of the Justice Committee. “From the start, the insulting language made it clear these officers should not interact with individuals who might have or be perceived to have mental health complexities. Contrary to the NYPD’s initial claims, the video shows that the officers created a crisis situation that they escalated. They made no attempt to de-escalate or engage with Win and his family, other than to issue commands, tase, and shoot. This was a cold-blooded murder. Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco should be suspended without pay immediately, fired, and prosecuted. Mayor Adams must explain why his administration has not released the officers’ names and ensure that the cover-up and obstruction faced by Kawaski Trawick’s family are not repeated here.”

“How many times must we stand with families because their loved one was killed by the NYPD after the NYPD created and escalated a crisis?” asked Simran Thind, Desis Rising Up & Moving Racial Justice Organizer. “Why don’t we have teams of trained mental health emergency responders in New York City when it has proven more effective than police? New York City needs to implement more effective and proven public safety measures, rather than mislead the affected families and the public with false narratives after such tragedies.”

“They shot the man in the back. The NYPD’s recklessness killed one person and almost killed two more. These officers should be fired and prosecuted. It’s a disgrace,” David Rankin of Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP remarked.

““There was absolutely no reason for Win Rozario’s life to be cut short. It is a devastating reminder that the police are not equipped to be first responders in mental health response,” Luna Droubi, also from Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP, added.

Mr. Win Rozario, who had immigrated to New York from Bangladesh with his family 10 years ago, was the third person in New York to be fatally shot by the police in the past two months. He had been experiencing depression and was briefly hospitalized last year due to mental health issues.