State Legal professional Common Letitia James received’t be urgent fees towards the NYPD cops who shot and killed a mentally sick Queens man final yr — however the cops nonetheless face an inner trial.
The cops who responded to Win Rozario’s Ozone Park residence in March 2024, on studies of an individual “on medicine,” have been justified below division pointers in capturing the 19-year-old after he lunged at them with a pair of scissors, James’ workplace stated Thursday.
The 2 officers concerned in Rozario’s dying, Matthew Cianfrocco and Salvatore Alongi, are nonetheless going through pending disciplinary fees from town’s Civilian Criticism Evaluate Board.
The inner NYPD watchdog in September “substantiated” allegations of extreme power and abuse of authority towards the cops, for which the pair may face punishment starting from the lack of trip days to termination.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who has beforehand known as for “justice” for Rozario and his household, stated Thursday he was eagerly awaiting the end result of the cops’ disciplinary trial.
“Win Rozario’s dying was a mindless tragedy that introduced ache to so many New Yorkers, most of all his family members,” Mamdani stated in a press release.
“The NYPD is holding a disciplinary trial for the 2 officers concerned, which is the proper plan of action, and I carefully await the end result.”
The deadly, caught-on-bodycam encounter unfolded shortly earlier than 2 p.m. on March 27, 2024, when police responded to the Rozario residence, the place they discovered the troubled teen together with his mom and brother.
Rozario grabbed a pair of scissors whereas his mother tried to carry him again within the household lounge.
One of many cops hit the troubled man with a stun gun, and his mom was in a position to push her son to the ground and take the scissors away from him, the report by the AG’s Workplace of Particular Investigation stated.
However the officers ordered the girl to face again, and he or she positioned the scissors on a kitchen chair — and shouted, “Don’t shoot,”
The identical cop then fired a second blast from the Taser.
However Rozario grabbed the scissors once more and moved on the officers — who fired the primary of 5 pictures.
“Put it down!” one of many cops shouted.
Rozario remained standing as each cops fired, till he went down, mortally wounded.
“Below these circumstances, given the legislation and the proof, a prosecutor wouldn’t have the ability to disprove past an inexpensive doubt at trial that the officers’ use of lethal bodily power towards Mr. Rozario was justified,” the AG report stated. “Subsequently, OSI decided that criminals fees wouldn’t be pursued.”
The report famous {that a} metropolis psychological well being disaster workforce from the Behavioral Well being Emergency Help Response Division was not obtainable within the Queens precinct the place the capturing occurred — and wouldn’t have made a distinction even when it was.
That’s as a result of the 911 name was for an individual “on medicine,” and the workforce doesn’t reply to circumstances involving substance abuse, the lawyer common stated.
The report features a advice to broaden the BHEARD groups to extra precincts and to widen the classes that qualify for intervention by the unit.
Mamdani, who received the mayoral election over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo final month, has pitched a brand new division that might see social employees reply to high quality of life calls as an alternative of cops.
The Queens assemblyman has requested NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to remain on when he takes workplace in January.
However Mamdani’s prior anti-cop rhetoric has frightened legislation and order pols and pundits within the metropolis.
“What right now’s choice doesn’t change is our obligation to do the whole lot in our energy to make sure this doesn’t occur once more, our dedication to delivering the social providers New Yorkers deserve, and our funding in each real public security and justice for all,” his assertion stated.
The NYPD didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the AG’s choice.
