OpEd by Notan Eva Costa, the mother of Win Rozario.
Today marks one year since my sweet 19-year-old son, Win Rozario, was killed by NYPD officers in what should have been the safety of our home. The police shot and killed Win while I begged them not to, in front of me and Win’s younger brother.
As a mother, my two sons are like my two hands. Now, with Win gone, it’s like half of me is missing. I wish my child had been able to live to pursue his dreams. Even our cat misses Win and his calm energy. When someone says “kaka,” the Bangla word for uncle, our cat paws at the photo of Win.
About an hour before Win was killed, I saw my two boys talking together. I loved seeing them like this. Win came up to me with kind words and he kissed my forehead. That was the last time he would ever do that.
Before Officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco came to our home, it was calm. While my son had mental health challenges, he never made us feel unsafe and we were fine until the police came. Alongi and Cianfrocco created a chaotic situation and just kept making it worse. I was scared and tried to protect my son but Alongi and Cianfrocco tased and shot Win in less than two minutes. They were so aggressive and reckless, it’s a miracle they didn’t also kill me and my other son.
After shooting Win, the NYPD forced me and Win’s brother to go to the precinct immediately, refusing to let us wear more clothes or take anything. They treated us like criminals, separated us, and interrogated us without lawyers before telling us Win had died.
Comments