Newly released body camera footage shows two New York police officers killing 19-year-old Win Rozario last month in front of his mother and brother, who begged the officers not to shoot.
On March 27, two NYPD officers responded to a call made by Rozario himself, who had called 911 in the midst of a mental health crisis.
In the harrowing body camera videos released by the Office of the New York Attorney General, Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco can be seen arriving at the Rozario family’s home in Ozone Park, Queens, greeted by Utsho Rozario, Win’s 17-year-old brother.
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As police approached the home, they asked if Utsho had been the one to call them. As he explained that his brother called the cops on himself, the officers seemed surprised. Utsho explained that his brother was “having an episode.”
“He a bipolar-schizo?” One officer asked.
“No,” Utsho replied. “He don’t even know what he’s doing to be honest.”
Utsho then led the officers upstairs where Win and his mother, Notan Ava Costa, stood in the kitchen. In footage from Officer Alongi’s body camera, Win can be seen opening a drawer, and pulling out a pair of scissors. Win then charged past his mother, and rushed toward the officers.
Officer Alongi quickly tased the young man, while Officer Cianfrocco pulled out his firearm. Notan cried out, holding her son as he was being tased.
“Let go of him, and back up!” Officer Alongi screamed. “Let go!”
Win’s mother dropped her son to the ground, recovering the pair of scissors. According to NYPD’s Chief of Patrol John Chell, she “accidentally knocked the Tasers out of his body,” when she grabbed him. Win quickly stood up, and appeared to make attempts to grab the scissors back from her. She held them away from him, blocking the officers from being able to tase him again.
“Please do not shoot my mother,” Utsho begged.
“We’re not, tell her to get the fuck out of the way,” Officer Alongi yelled.
“Get out of the way, now,” Officer Cianfrocco shouted at Notan.
Notan slowly stepped aside, placing the scissors down on a chair, and asking the officers not to shoot. Win stood calmly for a moment, and the officers immediately tased him again.
Win grabbed the scissors off the chair beside him, and charged at the officers again. Notan ran in front of her son as Officer Alongi continued to tase him. In the video, Officer Cianfrocco fires one shot, which did not appear to hit either person. “Get down, now,” he shouted.
Utsho rushed out to grab his mother. “Get out of the way!” Cianfrocco shouted.
“Please do not shoot my mom,” Utsho cried, pulling desperately at his mother. “I’m so sorry,” he said.
Finally, Utsho pulled his mother off of his brother, and the two fell back onto the floor between the young man holding a pair of scissors, and the two armed police officers. Win held the scissors at his side but did not heed the officers’ repeated demands to “put it down.” Officers Alongi and Cianfrocco shot Win four times as his mother wailed from the kitchen floor. “Please, please don't shoot,” she screamed, but her son had already collapsed on the ground.
Win was declared dead shortly after the shooting, which occurred around 1:55 p.m.
The Rozario family released a statement on Friday in response to the release of the footage, calling for the officers to be “fired and prosecuted for murder as soon as possible.”
“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 statement said.
“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.”
Loyda Colon, the executive director of the Justice Committee, an organization representing the family, called the shooting “an execution.”
“From the start, the insulting language made clear these cops shouldn't be interacting with anyone who might have or be perceived to have mental health complexities,” Colon said. “Contrary to the NYPD's lies that began soon after Win was killed, the video shows that the way these cops came in created a crisis situation that they unilaterally escalated multiple times. The cops made no attempt to de-escalate the crisis they created or engage with Win and his family other than to bark orders, tase and shoot.”
“They were so reckless it’s a miracle they didn’t also kill Win’s mother and brother,” Colon added.
The new video comes only one day after the family criticized the NYPD for failing to publicly release the body camera footage from the incident, which took place over a month ago. The incident had been under review by the Attorney General’s office.
Retired NYPD detective Charles Lieberman, who helped to create the department’s training for mental health crisis response, said that the fatal shooting did not need to happen, according to the The City.
Dennis Kenney, a professor of criminal justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told the publication that it was not clear why Win was tased after he put the scissors down. Win “didn’t make the final advance until after,” Kenney said. “That would have been the opportunity to de-escalate.”
