BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) In the wake of a March 31 ruling by the Erie County Medical Examiner that the death of Rohingya refugee Nurul Amin Shah Alam was a homicide, the question becomes will any one be charged?
That is one of many still unanswered questions related to Shah Alam's death.
"All I know is that was preventable and never should have happened," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
With tight restrictions because of state laws, Dr. Gail Burstein, county Department of Health commissioner, said Shah Alam, who is legally blind and had little-to-no command of the English language, died because of a stress ulcer and other medical complications.
Shah Alam's frozen and dehydrated body was found on Perry Street not far from KeyBank Center on Feb. 24, some six days after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents picked him up at the Erie County Holding Center and dropped Shah Alam at a Riverside area Tim Hortons, despite the fact the coffee shop had closed for the day and Shah Alam had limited clothes, including jail-issued paper boots.
State Sen. Jeremy Zellner wants New York Attorney General Letitia James or Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane to investigate.
"Something has to be done," Zellner said.
Legally, the homicide ruling doesn't mean a crime was committed. It does acknowledge, that in this case, Shah Alam's death may have been caused and the result of actions by others.
"We can't make that ruling," admitted Poloncarz, himself an attorney.
Shah Alam, 56, arrived in Buffalo in December 2024 because of the city's status as a sanctuary city. The Rohingya region of Myanmar - formerly Burma - has been the subject of a lengthy political and religious strife.
In February 2025, Shah Alam was arrested following a confrontation with Buffalo Police that many believe was the result of his lack of command of the English language and general distrust of police because of Rohingya roots.
The charges were ultimately reduced to minor infractions and after spending one year at the holding center, Shah Alam was released to the federal agents.
Friends and family members searched but couldn't locate Shah Alam. How he ended up in downtown Buffalo remains a mystery.
"I wish I knew what happened," Poloncarz said.
Final decision rests with state Attorney General or County DA.
