Myanmar refugee's death in New York ruled homicide: US health officials

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NEW YORK:  The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, has been officially ruled a homicide by the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office. The 56-year-old was found dead on a Buffalo street in February 2026, five days after being released from jail and left at a doughnut shop by U.S. Border Patrol agents.

The medical examiner determined that Shah Alam died from complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer, which was precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. A homicide ruling in this context indicates that the death resulted from the actions or inactions of another person, though it does not automatically imply criminal charges. 

Surveillance footage showed the visually impaired man, who spoke limited English, wandering through an empty parking lot in jail-issued footwear in freezing temperatures. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and various immigrant advocacy groups have called for a full investigation into the ‘cruelty and inhumanity’ of the Border Patrol's conduct, while the agency maintains that Shah Alam showed no signs of distress at the time of his release.

Photo Credits: BUFFALO POLICE