Death of a refugee left at a Buffalo doughnut shop by Border Patrol is ruled a homicide

The decease of a astir unsighted exile from Myanmar who was recovered connected a Buffalo thoroughfare successful February — 5 days aft Border Patrol agents near him astatine a doughnut store — has been ruled a homicide, authorities said Wednesday.

The Erie County Medical Examiner's Office didn't scope immoderate conclusions astir work for Nurul Amin Shah Alam's death, which the bureau said was caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer, precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. Ruling a decease a homicide means it resulted from different person's actions — oregon inaction — but doesn't needfully mean that a transgression was committed.

“This should not person happened,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, a Democrat, said astatine a quality league Wednesday, expressing condolences to Shah Alam’s family.

The authorities lawyer general’s bureau and the Erie County territory attorney’s bureau person been reviewing the case. Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, called for a transgression probe into the Border Patrol agents' conduct.

Shah Alam sought information successful the U.S. and "instead, helium was near to dice successful the street,” Awawdeh said by email. “Every azygous idiosyncratic who was progressive indispensable beryllium held responsible.”

Asked astir the aesculapian examiner's finding, U.S. Customs and Border Protection pointed to its erstwhile connection that Shah Alam “showed nary signs of distress, mobility issues, oregon disabilities requiring peculiar assistance” erstwhile agents dropped him disconnected Feb. 19 astatine a Tim Hortons restaurant, a spot chosen arsenic “a warm, harmless location” adjacent his past known address.

“This decease had NOTHING to bash Border Patrol,” its genitor agency, the Department of Homeland Security, said successful a Feb. 27 societal media station that the borderline bureau besides cited Wednesday.

The edifice was closed erstwhile Shah Alam was dropped disconnected there, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan has said.

Shah Alam, 56, was a subordinate of the Rohingya taste minority, who are astir each denied citizenship and different rights successful Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Shah Alam near Myanmar galore years agone for Malaysia, wherever helium worked successful operation for galore years. He got support to travel to the U.S. arsenic a exile and arrived successful the United States with his woman and 2 of his children successful December 2024, according to advocates for the family.

He spent astir a twelvemonth successful the Erie County jailhouse connected felony battle and different charges aft a 2025 conflict with constabulary who encountered him carrying what appeared to beryllium curtain rods. Police said helium spot 2 officers; advocates for his household said helium hadn't understood officers’ commands to driblet the items.

He yet pleaded blameworthy to 2 lesser, misdemeanor charges and was released from jailhouse Feb. 19. Border Patrol past concisely detained him until determining that helium wasn't eligible for deportation. His family, which had been awaiting his merchandise from jail, wasn't informed of it.

Shah Alam’s lawyer yet reported him missing to Buffalo constabulary connected Feb. 22.

Two days later, helium was recovered dormant adjacent the downtown sports arena wherever the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres play. It was unclear however helium got determination from the Tim Hortons, respective miles away, oregon erstwhile helium died.

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