Medical Examiner Rules Refugee’s Death in Freezing Buffalo a Homicide

The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind Rohingya refugee abandoned by U.S. Border Patrol agents in subfreezing temperatures, has been officially ruled a homicide. The determination follows findings that the 56-year-old succumbed to a perforated ulcer brought on by extreme hypothermia and severe, prolonged environmental stress.

Erie County health officials confirmed that the medical examiner’s classification of homicide refers to a death resulting from the volitional act of another, including negligent omissions, rather than an intent to kill. Dr. Gale Burstein, the county health commissioner, explained that the combination of freezing weather and lack of access to hydration caused the fatal ulcer, a medical emergency that went untreated while Shah Alam was left at a closed coffee shop in Buffalo this past February.

The Path to Abandonment

Following his release from the Erie County Holding Center, where he had been detained for a year, Border Patrol agents picked up Shah Alam to transport him. Despite his son waiting outside the jail to provide a ride home, agents took the visually impaired man to a remote location instead, characterizing the act as a "courtesy ride." The Department of Homeland Security has dismissed the ruling as a political hoax, labeling the incident an attempt to demonize law enforcement and highlighting the man’s prior criminal charges. However, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul have pledged to continue reviewing the circumstances, with local advocates calling for a full criminal investigation into the agents' conduct.