Nineteen-year-old succumbs to crisis after dialing 911, urging activists to seek improved law enforcement methods.
Sprawled on the ground, the mother of two stretched out a hand towards the police, her voice conveying terror and distress.
It was already too late. One of the authorities fired his weapon at least four times, killing 19-year-old Win Rozario. Less than two minutes had elapsed since the officers entered the family's home.
During a press conference on the following Wednesday, "Mama" Costa, through an interpreter, said, "They killed my son in just a few minutes. Before they arrived, everything was calm. Then they came and created chaos, and murdered him in front of me."
Since Rozario's death, this incident has garnered attention from social justice and mental health advocates, especially as the state attorney general's office released footage from the body cameras worn by the two responding officers and indicated they are investigating the case.
Critics note that the officers' use of lethal force was uncalled-for and reinforce a trend of violence against those with mental illness. The NYPD stated they are "fully cooperating" with the investigation alongside conducting their own, noting, "We strive to enhance how we answer requests for assistance, and we acknowledge that there is much work to be done. New Yorkers are entitled to nothing less."
The two officers are now on "modified assignment," which entails that they are still working but no longer carry firearms or shields. Rozario's family alongside local groups such as the Justice Committee and Desis Rising Up and Moving have demanded that the officers be dismissed and prosecuted.
Their objectives, however, extend beyond merely punishing the officers who took Rozario's life. They're urging for New York City to drastically alter its approach in reacting to individuals facing crises. Rather than dispatching armed police to attend to every 911 call, they envision a world where trained mental health responders assist individuals struggling with crisis, facilitating de-escalation and linking the afflicted with healthcare.
Mental health crisis intervention initiatives have already been instituted in cities like Eugene, Oregon, and Denver, Colorado, as well as various municipalities across the U.S. In New York, a similar albeit restricted trial program named "B-Heard" dispatches EMTs and professional mental health responders to specific emergency calls.
Through a translator, among a teeming group of supporters bearing images of Rozario, his mother portrayed her son as a "tranquil and courteous" teenager who aspired to join the military "because he wanted to do something for this nation." He enjoyed cooking for his mother and aiding her in her beading artistic endeavors, she reminisced.
"It's my child they stole from me," she said, teary-eyed as she described her son. "I attempted to safeguard my son. I pleaded with the police not to shoot, but the police still killed him."
"Win Rozario would still be alive if the NYPD had already removed themselves from mental health matters," remarked Loyda Colón, executive director of the Justice Committee, during a Wednesday press conference.
2 minutes, 4 gunshots, and a tragedy that ended a young life prematurely
Rozario was seemingly amidst a mental health emergency when he called 911 on March 27.
"He's having a break", his younger brother, Utsho, explained to the officers who arrived. "He doesn't even understand what he's doing, to be honest."
Within the apartment, the officers found Rozario standing in the kitchen near his mother. When an officer moved towards the kitchen, Rozario seemed to become uneasy and picked up a pair of kitchen scissors, which his mother attempted to disarm him of.
Rozario moved towards the officers once more with the scissors, prompting one officer to fire a taser at him, while the other drew his weapon.Rozario's mother rushed to him and seemed to soothe him, prompting one officer to holler, "Get the hell out of my way!"
"Don't shoot", she said to the officers. What appeared to be another taser volley was released towards Rozario, who picked up the scissors and advanced on the officers again. Utsho stepped in as all three family members embraced each other, reacting to the officers' ongoing commands for them to move away.
Rozario's mother and brother both wound up on the floor. Rozario was standing and brandishing the scissors, seemingly several feet away from the officers, when one officer commenced shooting at him. He slumped to the floor following multiple shots.
Colón stated the body-camera footage illustrates the responding officers "negligently escalated the situation multiple times," endangering Rozario's mother and brother in the process.
"They had many chances to pacify the situation, to arrest and they did not," Colón said. The officers screamed "put it down" multiple times towards Rozario but failed to communicate with him during the body-camera recordings.
"There was no threat to anyone until those officers showed up with their firearms," the family's attorney asserted at the news conference.
Michael Alcazar, an ex-NYPD detective and lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, shared his input with CNN regarding the shooting of Rozario by police officers. Alcazar stated that numerous alternatives were available for the officers to handle the situation without gunfire.
For example, before entering the home or taking away the scissors from Rozario, the officers could have asked his mother and sibling to leave, leaving only Rozario in the apartment, allowing them to call for professional assistance. This approach is aligned with the "isolate and contain" protocol NYPD suggests officers use for handling "mentally ill or emotionally disturbed individuals."
Moreover, the detectives could have used non-lethal weapons like nightsticks to subdue and disarm Rozario, as per Alcazar's recommendations.
Sadly, this is not the first time in New York that someone experiencing a mental health crisis has been killed by police. At least 26 individuals have lost their lives to officers since 2007, with the second most common circumstance being police employing force against mentally distressed individuals, as per the NYPD's use of force report for 2022. During this period, officers used force in a total of 1,740 instances involving emotionally disturbed persons.
It's worth noting that the NYPD handles around 155,000 emergency calls connected to mental health crises annually. A minuscule fraction of these result in force being applied (approximately 1%), and even fewer include deadly force.
The deaths of Rozario, Kawaski Trawick, Deborah Danner, and Mohamed Bah have raised concerns about the risks associated with having police respond to individuals suffering acute crises, prompting consideration about alternative methods of assistance.
In Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, a mobile intervention program called CAHOOTS has been in operation for over 30 years. It diverts between 3-8% of calls conventionally handled by the police, including attending to people who are "intoxicated, mentally ill, or disoriented." The program has enjoyed considerable success due to the trust its responders have cultivated with residents over the years.
Jeremy Gates, Executive Director of the White Bird Clinic, which runs CAHOOTS, confirmed this trust: "People will call and say, I don't want the police, I want CAHOOTS."
The Denver Police Department operates a similar program called STAR (Support Team Assisted Response). Responders receive specialized training and employ sympathetic approaches to successfully collaborate with individuals facing emotional crisis situations. Their approach is geared towards not escalating the situation, as they believe the presence of uniformed police officers can be especially alarming to some communities.
Fountain House, a New York-based non-profit providing support for individuals suffering from major mental illness, is seeking to expand the city's mental health intervention programs. Arvind Sooknanan, a member of the Board of Directors at Fountain House, emphasized the significance of framing mental health issues as a matter of public health, rather than public safety, to combat persisting stigmas and fears.
Sooknanan further supports a plan for the city to redirect as many potential emergency calls as possible away from the 911 system, integrating the national 988 mental health hotline with social support services to better address the underlying stressors faced by individuals in crisis. His personal connection to the matter is strong: he's dealt with severe mental illness since the age of 15 and shares a background with Rozario - both are of South Asian origin.
Reflecting on his experiences, Sooknanan expressed the desire for others to possess the same opportunities he did, stating, "I want other people to have the same opportunities I did, to move forward with their lives, to find meaning, to find community."
Ken Zimmerman, the CEO of Fountain House, envisions a future where increased awareness and education about serious mental health conditions result in significantly lower stigma and fear. He also emphasizes the necessity of expanding the city's resources to address mental health issues, acknowledging that this process could take years. Furthermore, Zimmerman stressed the importance of giving those with lived mental health experiences an active voice in building and directing crisis intervention programs.
The case of Rozario has deeply impacted Sooknanan: "It's been eating away at me in the past few weeks. He was only 19 years old. There was no reason for him to die."
In summary, several groups and individuals have raised concerns over the disproportionate use of force against individuals experiencing mental health crises. They've advocated for initiatives such as CAHOOTS and STAR, which introduce non-police-led responses to these situations. Fountain House reinforces the critical need for more extensive public health approaches and greater collaboration between law enforcement and mental health agencies.
The battle to give a substitute to police reaction for people facing mental health emergencies for the Rozario family is driven by a desire that no other family has to suffer the distress they have encountered.
"No mother should have to go through the agony I'm feeling," Rozario's mother stated. "I hope no other mothers endure this in the future."
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In response to the tragedy, Rozario's family and local advocacy groups like the Justice Committee and Desis Rising Up and Moving are pushing for the officers involved to be dismissed and prosecuted. They are also urging New York City to reform its approach to mental health crises, advocating for trained mental health responders to replace armed police in such situations.
During the press conference, Loyda Colón, executive director of the Justice Committee, emphasized the importance of this change, stating, "Win Rozario would still be alive if the NYPD had already removed themselves from mental health matters."
Source: edition.cnn.com
