Bangladeshi teen shot dead by police at New York home

The slain youth, 19-year-old Win Rozario, was suffering from mental health issues, according to his family

A Bangladeshi man has been fatally shot by police at his home in New York.

The slain youth, 19-year-old Win Rozario, lived with his family at the intersection of 103rd Street in Ozone Park.

According to his family, he was struggling with mental health issues.

The incident took place around noon (local time) on Wednesday, according to the New York Police Department.

Winn had reportedly dialled 911, requesting assistance. Shortly after, officers arrived at his residence to assess the situation.

John Chell, the NYPD patrol chief, said that upon the police's arrival, Winn exhibited aggressive behaviour. The officers attempted to subdue him in order to take him to a hospital for evaluation. However, during the altercation, Winn retrieved a pair of scissors from a drawer and advanced towards the officers.

Despite efforts by two on-duty officers to de-escalate the situation, Winn reportedly became increasingly aggressive and attempted to attack them with the scissors, prompting the police to shoot him.

Winn was subsequently rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was declared dead by the emergency department staff.

However, his mother, 49-year-old Eva Costa, disputed the police's account, insisting that her son did not attack the officers with scissors. She believes that footage from the police body cameras will reveal the truth of the incident.

During a press conference, the police said that Win's younger brother, 17-year-old Utsha Rozario, described him as "not mentally well". An attempt by two officers to use a taser as a self-defence tool was halted by Win's mother, according to the police.

Eva, however, maintained that Win did not confront the officers but instead sought protection by embracing her.

She highlighted Win's recent accomplishments and future aspirations, noting, “Win graduated from John Adams High School in New York. He was looking forward to joining the US Army, having successfully passed the interview process. How could he do that if he wasn’t mentally well?”

Win's parents, Francis Rozario, 52, and Eva, are both employed at the John F Kennedy Airport. The family immigrated to the United States in 2014. Francis was at work when the fatal incident occurred.

James Roy, a pastor at a Lutheran church in Jackson Heights, shared his memories of Win, acknowledging that although he rarely attended church with his parents, he knew the teenager since he was a child.

Roy pointed out that Win had received treatment for mental health treatment six months ago at Jamaica Hospital but affirmed that he was never known to be disruptive or involved in any misdeeds.

Following the incident, the New York police initiated an investigation, during which the firearms of the two involved officers were confiscated.