Twenty months after a 19-year-old man in mental health crisis was shot and killed by police in his Queens home in front of his mother and younger brother, the state attorney general’s office announced it would not pursue charges against the officers in the incident.
The decision comes after an extensive investigation which found the officers’ force was justified, because the man, Win Rozario, approached them with a pair of scissors.
What You Need To Know
Twenty months after 19-year-old Win Rozario was shot and killed by police in his Queens home, the state attorney general’s office announced it would not pursue charges against the officers in the incident
The shooting of Rozario in March 2024 shook the city and brought an intense focus on how the NYPD and the city respond to people in mental health crisis during emergencies
In September, the city’s police oversight board, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, substantiated misconduct charges against the officers for improper use of force and abuse of authority. They are headed to a departmental disciplinary trial
The shooting of Rozario in March 2024 shook the city and brought an intense focus on how the NYPD and the city respond to people in mental health crisis during emergencies.
NYPD officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco had arrived at Rozario’s home — the second time they had responded there — after Rozario had called 911 on himself.
Within minutes of their arrival, Rozario had been tased twice — with limited effect — after he had grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen. After he approached officers with the scissors, he was shot five times.
Prior to officers shooting Rozario, his mother had begged for them not to shoot.
The report states: “Given that the officers’ shots came after Mr. Rozario had come at them with the scissors, and then after he had struggled to keep hold of the scissors when his mother tried to take them away, and then had picked up the scissors from the floor and taken a step toward the officers, and then after he continued to stand, facing the officers and holding the scissors after they commanded him to drop them, the reasonableness of the officers’ fear that Mr. Rozario would come at them again with the scissors cannot be disproved beyond a reasonable doubt.”
For months, advocates and the Rozario family have been calling for the attorney general’s office to pursue charges against the officers’ in the case. The family has since sued the city.
In September, the city’s police oversight board, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, substantiated misconduct charges against the officers for improper use of force and abuse of authority.
They are headed to a departmental disciplinary trial.
In the attorney general’s report on Thursday, the office recommends the city increase its mental health response teams, known as B-HEARD.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has pledged to remove the NYPD from mental health calls.