NY AG releases video of NYPD officers shooting man in Queens

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – Body camera footage released Friday by Attorney General Letitia James shows the minutes leading up to NYPD officers shooting and killing an emotionally disturbed man, Win Rozario, in his Queens home. 

By law, the attorney general's office is required to investigate any case when an officer discharges their weapon and it leads to a death.

"The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter," James said in a statement. "Two officers fired their service weapons at Mr. Rozario. Mr. Rozario was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead."

Rozario, 19, was suffering a mental health crisis on March 27 and called 911 on himself, according to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell. Officers responded to the home on 103rd Street in Ozone Park around 1:40 p.m.

The video shows one of the officers asking Rozario's 17-year-old brother, "Who called 911?" 

The brother answers, "My brother did. He called himself. He is having an episode. "

"What kind of episode? Is he bipolar or schizo?" one of the officers asks. 

The cops and the brother head upstairs to the second floor, where Rozario and his mother are in the kitchen. From there, it all unfolds. 

"The situation becomes quite hectic, chaotic, and dangerous right away,” Chief John Chell said at a press briefing on the day of the shooting. "They come here to help, and they never want to use any force in these situations."

When officers reach the second floor, Rozario walks to a kitchen drawer and pulls out a pair of scissors, the video shows. His mother, beside him, hugs him and tries to stop Rozario from moving toward the officers. 

Both officers pull out their stun guns and deploy them on Rozario while the mom continues to hold Rozario, the video shows.

One officer says in the video, "Let go of him and back up; let go of him."  

Rozario's brother, who is standing in the living room to the side, begs the officers not to shoot his mother.

“I am not going to shoot. Tell her to get the [expletive] out of the way," an officer responds.

Rozario's mother then takes the scissors, and an officer can be heard calling for backup. 

The mother steps back and puts the scissors on a chair in the kitchen but then continues to struggle with her son, who grabs the scissors again, the video shows.

The body cameras captured the moment when Rozario was shot. PIX11 is choosing to end the video before the officers discharge their weapons.

“My heart is broken, and I share the profound pain felt by New Yorkers after watching the tragic video of the incident resulting in the death of Winn Rozario," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. "The thought of a parent burying their child, let alone witnessing their child's final moments, is unimaginable.”

The NYPD is fully cooperating with the state attorney general's investigation. The two police officers involved remain on modified assignments. An officer on modified assignment does not carry a shield or a firearm.

This story comprises reporting from PIX11 News reporters Mira Wassef, Nicole Johnson and Katie Corrado.