{"id":7767,"date":"2026-04-06T21:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/2026\/04\/nurul-amin-shah-alam-homicide-investigation\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T21:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:36:11","slug":"nurul-amin-shah-alam-homicide-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/2026\/04\/nurul-amin-shah-alam-homicide-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Nurul Amin Shah Alam: Death Of Buffalo Refugee Abandoned By ICE Ruled A Homicide, Family Still Seeking Answers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam<\/a><\/strong>, a 56-year-old nearly-blind refugee in Buffalo, has officially been ruled a homicide, intensifying scrutiny over how authorities handled his release and final hours.<\/p>\n

\"ICE
Source: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland \/ Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to WKBW (ABC News 7)<\/em>, <\/a>the Erie County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office determined Shah Alam died from a perforated ulcer triggered by hypothermia and dehydration. His body was found Feb. 24 near Perry Street by the KeyBank Center.<\/p>\n

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WKBW<\/em> reports<\/a> that Shah Alam had been released on bail from the Erie County Holding Center five days before his death. After his release, Border Patrol agents took him into custody on an immigration detainer. Federal authorities later determined he was not eligible for deportation.<\/p>\n

Rather than returning him to his family, agents reportedly dropped Shah Alam off at a Tim Hortons in Riverside, where only the drive-thru was open at the time. Shah Alam\u2019s family said neither they nor their attorney was notified by federal authorities that he was dropped off at the coffee shop, and he did not read, write, or use electronic devices. They also alleged that the coffee shop was not near their residence. <\/p>\n

Terry Connors, the attorney representing Shah Alam\u2019s family, said the circumstances surrounding his death raise serious concerns.<\/p>\n

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\u201cReally horrible, tragic death,\u201d Connors said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Connors said Shah Alam was not equipped to navigate the situation alone.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis poor man was placed in a hostile environment. From which it was unlikely he would ever be able to escape,\u201d Connors said. \u201cI mean, he was blind in one eye, didn\u2019t speak our language.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Nurul
Source: Buffalo Police Department \/ BPD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Family waited outside but never saw him<\/strong><\/h3>\n

WKBW reports that <\/a>Shah Alam\u2019s family was waiting outside the holding center on Delaware Avenue to take him home upon his release.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFamily members were waiting outside of the holding center for him on Delaware Avenue, just prepared to take him home,\u201d Connors said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey brought him food because of the cultural differences in the food that he was served at the holding center,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were there and prepared to do it, and he never came out that side door where all released prisoners usually come out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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What Happened Before?<\/h3>\n

As previously reported by BOSSIP<\/a>, Shah Alam was described as a vulnerable man who was nearly blind and unable to speak English when he was released from custody. BOSSIP cited CNN<\/em>, which states that Shah Alam had been held at Erie County Jail for nearly a year before resolving his case with a misdemeanor plea deal.<\/p>\n

Customs and Border Protection agents transported Shah Alam to a Tim Hortons they believed was near his home, but the address used was incorrect, and his family was never notified of his release or location.<\/p>\n

The Buffalo Police Department launched an investigation into the actions of Border Patrol, raising broader concerns about accountability and how vulnerable individuals are treated in immigration custody.<\/p>\n

Investigations continue as officials review case<\/strong><\/h3>\n

WKBW states<\/a> the Erie County District Attorney\u2019s Office is investigating Shah Alam\u2019s death, while the New York State Attorney General\u2019s Office is conducting a separate review. There are also calls for the county legislature to examine how the sheriff\u2019s office handled his release.<\/p>\n

No criminal charges or lawsuits have been filed at this time.<\/p>\n

Connors said a criminal case remains uncertain but has not been ruled out.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s unlikely that a criminal prosecution,\u201d Connors said. \u201cBut it\u2019s not being ruled out because the district attorney is looking at it, but there will likely be civil litigation that will follow, and that\u2019s where you\u2019ll get most of the answers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As authorities continue their review, the homicide ruling shifts the focus toward whether the decisions made after Shah Alam\u2019s release directly contributed to his death.<\/p>\n

The post Nurul Amin Shah Alam: Death Of Buffalo Refugee Abandoned By ICE Ruled A Homicide, Family Still Seeking Answers<\/a> appeared first on Bossip<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly-blind refugee in Buffalo, has officially been ruled a homicide, intensifying…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14044,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[10,9],"class_list":["post-7767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-rss","tag-culture","tag-hip-hop"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14044"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7767\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}