NEW YORK, NY- UNS: The family of Bangladeshi teen Win Rozario will commemorate the one year since Win was killed with a vigil in Richmond Hill, Queens. On March 27, 2024, NYPD Officers Salvatore Alongi & Matthew Cianfrocco tased, shot and killed 19-year-old Win Rozario in his home in front of his mother and younger brother. Alongi & Cianfrocco recklessly shot Win at least five times, endangering his mother and younger brother, and killing him within less than two minutes of arriving at their home.
The Rozario family will be joined by the Justice Committee, Desis Rising Up and Moving, families of New Yorkers killed by police, and others for the vigil in honor of Win and to demand action from Mayor Adams, NYPD Commissioner Tisch, and Attorney General Letitia James.
BACKGROUND:
19-year-old Win Rozario was in his Ozone Park, Queens home when he was killed by NYPD Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco on March 27, 2024, in front of his mother and younger brother. Officers Alongi and Cianfrocco created a crisis when they arrived and recklessly escalated the situation multiple times. Officers Alongi and Cianfrocco tased and shot Win multiple times within less than two minutes after entering the family’s apartment, unjustifiably killing the teen and risking the lives of Win’s mother and brother.
For over a month after Win Rozario was killed, the NYPD blocked transparency, including refusing to release the names or employment status of the officers involved. Alongi and Cianfrocco’s names were first publicly identified by the Attorney General’s office when they released officer body camera footage on May 3, 2024. Mayor Adams’ first, and only, public statements regarding the killing were issued only after the Attorney General released body camera footage, over five weeks after Win was killed after being questioned by press. In the statement and after being questioned by reporters, Mayor Adams falsely claimed that he had reached out to the family after the incident, and falsely claimed that discipline would have to wait until after the Attorney General’s investigation concluded with a determination.
For the past year, Win Rozario’s family, along with the Justice Committee and Desis Rising Up & Moving, have called for the NYPD to fire – and for the NYS Attorney General to prosecute – NYPD officers Alongi and Cianfrocco. They are also calling for police to be removed from the city’s mental health response.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and the New York State Attorney General are still investigating the killing. The family has received no updates from Mayor Adams or the NYPD about the NYPD’s mandated investigation. While mayors sometimes falsely claim that officer disciplinary processes must wait until after prosecutor determinations, there is no mandate to delay discipline. In fact, Francis Livoti, who killed Anthony Baez in 1994, was fired from the NYPD before federal prosecutors convicted Livoti for violating Baez’s civil rights.
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.
