Body camera footage recently released shows the moment NYPD officers shot dead a 19-year-old resident of Queens in March. Win Rozario’s loved ones have said police killed him in cold blood. However, cops have claimed they had no choice. The footage was released by Attorney General Letitia James.
Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco responded to a 911 call on the afternoon of March 27 at 103rd Street and 101st Avenue in Queens. They arrived to find Rozario allegedly holding a pair of scissors.
The two officers have been accused of firing their service weapons at Rozario, who was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. A pair of scissors was recovered at the scene.
What does the video show?
The video shows Rozario's younger brother outside the family’s Ozone Park home, talking to the two NYPD cops. This was after Rozario called 911.
"Um, he's having an episode," Rozario's brother says.
"What kind of episode?" one officer asks.
"He a bipolar, schizo, like...?" the other officer asks.
The officers then ask the brother who called 911, and the brother confirms that Rozario did.
{{/usCountry}}The officers then ask the brother who called 911, and the brother confirms that Rozario did.
{{/usCountry}}Rozario was found in the kitchen with his mother. He opens a drawer, takes out a pair of scissors and charges towards the cops. The officers then use a taser on him.
Rozario’s mother is seen taking the scissors away and putting them down as the brother urges the cops not to shoot her. "We're not, tell her to get the f*** out of the way," one officer says.
The officers use a taser on Rozario again after his mom moves, but Rozario continues to move toward the cops. Previously in March, the NYPD said that Rozario’s mother accidentally knocked the Taser prongs off him, but that is not clear in the video. Rozario’s mother was also heard crying in the video, “Don't shoot! Don't shoot!”
Rozario then moves from the kitchen into the front room. An officer fires a gun but it is unclear if it hit Rozario. One officer is heard saying, "Shoot him.”
After Rozario walks back into the kitchen, all three family members can be seen in a struggle. Rozario grabs the scissors and walks toward the officers, when one of them fires four more shots. Rozario is seen dropping.
Rozario’s brother said in March, talking to CBS New York Investigates Team, "If they really wanted to, they could have detained him and saved a life that day."
Win Rozario’s family’s statement
Rozario’s family released a statement this week, saying, 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 that was released makes it clear that Win should be alive but 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."
NYPD’s statement
The NYPD said in a statement, “The NYPD is fully cooperating with the state attorney general's investigation into this tragic incident, and is committed to ensuring a full and thorough review. The NYPD Force Investigation Division is also conducting an investigation. The two police officers involved remain on modified assignment. An officer on modified assignment does not carry a shield or a firearm.”
It added, “Each year, the NYPD receives more than nine million calls for service, approximately 155,000 of which are emergency calls involving people in the throes of an emotional or mental health crisis. Less than 1 percent of those calls result in police using any form of force; even fewer encounters result in the use of deadly physical force. We continually seek to improve how we respond to requests for assistance, and we acknowledge that there is much work to be done. New Yorkers expect and deserve nothing less."