As New York policeman are charged for teen’s killing, a win for city’s Bangladeshi community

Eighteen months after the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old Bangladeshi man named Win Rozario, two New York City police officers were charged with misconduct in the case. The charges came just days before the statute of limitations – the legal deadline for filing departmental misconduct charges – was set to expire on September 26.

The killing of Rozario in March 2024 had sparked protests by the Bangladeshi community in New York demanding that the officers involved in the shooting, Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco, be prosecuted.

Under public pressure, the New York Police released body-camera footage, six months after the shooting, that contradicted its initial account that suggested that Rozario had acted aggressively.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board, an oversight board of civilians that investigates complaints against New York City police officers, found that the officers had used excessive force during their encounter with Rozario, who was in mental distress.

The board substantiated eight allegations in total – four against each officer – including excessive force and abuse of authority.

The decision was significant given how rarely the review board substantiates complaints against officers. In recent years, the board substantiated only about 20% of cases, many of them coming after the introduction of body-worn cameras in 2019. In Win Rozario’s...

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