The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) launched a probe Tuesday into the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Win Rozario during an encounter with NYPD officers inside his Ozone Park home on Wednesday, March 27.
The investigation is mandated under state law and has nothing to do with a rally for justice on Friday by outraged members of the Bangladeshi community on Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights who called on the NYPD to release both the body camera footage of the incident and the names of the cops involved.
At approximately 1:48 p.m. on March 27, NYPD officers from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill responded to a 911 call at 103rd Street and 101st Avenue in Ozone Park, authorities said. Upon arrival, officers encountered Rozario who was allegedly holding a pair of scissors. Two officers used their tasers on Rozario before ultimately firing their service weapons. EMS rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Officers recovered a pair of scissors at the scene, according to a statement from the AG’s office which made no mention of officers tasering Rozario who was allegedly suffering a mental health episode. The statement also makes no mention of his mother’s involvement in the incident. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said that the mother had rushed to aid her son and “knocked the tasers out of his body” prior to the shooting.
“At this point, the male picked up the scissors again, came at our officers,” Chell said. “They had no choice but to defend themselves, discharging their firearms.”
Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or peace officer, including a correction officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act of omission.
Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.
