Family of Win Rozario Reacts To Release of Police Body Worn Camera Footage of His Killing

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Yul-san Liem, yul-san@justicecommittee.org

Akash Singh, akash@drumnyc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2024

New York, NY:  Today, New York State Attorney General James released body camera footage of the March 27th killing of 19-year-old Win Rozario by NYPD Officers Salvatore Alongi & Matthew Cianfrocco. In response, the family of Win Rozario, their representatives from the Justice Committee and Desis Rising Up & Moving, and the family’s attorneys released the following statements: 

Statement from Win Rozario’s family - Notan Ava Costa, Utsho Rozario, and Francis Rozario (mother, brother and father of Win Rozario): 

“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.”

"The footage is horrifying - this was an execution," said Loyda Colon, Executive Director of the Justice Committee. "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. 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. This was a cold-blooded murder where they killed Win in minutes, tasering and shooting him repeatedly. They were so reckless it's a miracle they didn't also kill Win's mother and brother. Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco need to be suspended without pay immediately, fired and prosecuted. Mayor Adams needs to answer for why his administration has refused to release Alongi and Cianfroccos names and he needs to ensure that the years of cover-up and obstruction faced by Kawaski Trawick's family aren't repeated here."

"How many times do we have to stand with families because their loved one was killed by the NYPD, after the NYPD created a crisis and escalated it?,” said Simran Thind (she/they), 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 to be more effective than police? We need New York City to implement more effective and proven public safety measures, rather than gaslight the impacted families and the public with false propaganda 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,” said David Rankin (he/him), Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP.

“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,” said Luna Droubi (she/her), Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP

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Background

19-year-old Win Rozario was in his Ozone Park, Queens home when he was killed by NYPD Officers Salvatore Alongi & Matthew Cianfrocco on March 27, 2024. He was killed in his family’s kitchen, in front of his mother and his younger brother.  After Rozario was killed, the NYPD did not release body camera footage, the names of the officers or information about their employment status.

About the Justice Committee: Since the 1980s, the Justice Committee (JC) has been dedicated to building a movement against police. violence and systemic racism in New York City. The heart of our work is organizing and uplifting the leadership of families who have lost loved ones to the police and survivors of police violence. We empower our community to deter police violence, hold law enforcement accountable, and build people-led community safety through grassroots organizing campaigns, community empowerment, political education, our CopWatch program, and by developing safety mechanisms and projects that decrease reliance on police. By building solidarity with other anti-racist, immigrant and people of color-led organizations, the Justice Committee seeks to contribute to a broad-based movement for racial, social, and economic justice.

About Desis Rising Up and Moving: DRUM - Desis Rising Up and Moving is a multigenerational, membership led organization of low-wage South Asian and Indo-Caribbean immigrants, workers and youth in New York City. 

Founded in 2000, DRUM has mobilized and built the leadership of thousands of low-income, South Asian and Indo-Caribbean immigrants to lead social and policy change that impacts their own lives- from immigrant rights to education reform, racial justice, and worker’s justice.  Our membership of over 5,000 adults, youth, and families is multigenerational and represents the diaspora of the South Asian communities – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Guyana, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and beyond.  In over a decade, we have built a unique model of South Asian and Indo-Caribbean undocumented workers, women, and youth led organizing for rights and justice from the local to the global rooted in base building, leadership development, running short and long term campaigns to reform policies on all levels, strong cross-community alliances locally and nationally, and building democratic and mass participatory spaces.