Police shoot, kill James Rosano, of Carle Place, who waved BB gun that looked like shotgun, officials say

Nassau County police shot and killed a man early Wednesday in front of his Carle Place home after he waved what appeared to be a shotgun at officers that turned out to be a BB gun, the department said.

Police identified the man who died in the predawn shooting as James Rosano, 33, who lived in the home on Rushmore Avenue with his parents.

Officers had responded to the home after a 911 call at 12:20 a.m. of a domestic disturbance involving an intoxicated man, said Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and other officials at a news conference Wednesday at department headquarters in Mineola.

Rosano's mother told police her son said, "Kiss me," and indicated he was going to leave the house and die at the hands of the police, Homicide Squad Det. Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said, noting the area was dimly lit.

Once outside, Rosano waved what looked to be a shotgun at the officers and refused "numerous commands" to put it down before one of them fired, striking Rosano once, Fitzpatrick said. Rosano died at a hospital, police said.

Detectives later determined his weapon was a BB gun, a photo of which was posted at the news conference. The gun was identified in a police photo as a Crosman Legacy 1000 without a scope.

"At nighttime in the dark ... you look at it and you tell me, if you could see anything different in what that gun is, and that was what was pointed at our officers," Ryder said. "That was the threat that they stopped."

The officers were wearing body cameras; those devices were turned over to the Office of State Attorney General Letitia James for an investigation.

Fatal police-involved shootings are examined by the attorney general's office. On Wednesday, the office released body-camera footage from a July officer-involved shooting in Suffolk County that remains under investigation.

The chain of events early Wednesday began with Rosano's mother's call to the police, saying her son was irate, Fitzpatrick said. She met an officer at the front door, but his attention turned to Rosano, who was on his right in front of the home. The officer, who "feared for his life," pushed the mother inside the home to put her out of danger, according to Fitzpatrick.

A second officer had taken position behind a car parked in a next-door neighbor’s driveway, between 6 and 7 feet from Rosano, Fitzpatrick said.

The man approached and waved the weapon at the officer.

After Rosano ignored demands to drop the gun, it became "reasonable and necessary for that officer to discharge his weapon," Fitzpatrick said.

The officer fired his gun one time, striking Rosano in the chest. Rosano was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island in Mineola, police said.

Rosano had prior arrests and felony charges including burglary, arson, assaults and DWIs, police said. He was most recently arrested on Sunday and charged with assaulting his girlfriend, Fitzpatrick said. Rosano was charged with third-degree assault and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday, court records show.

His attorney, Joseph Terino, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

Rosano's mother told police her son also had an extensive history of alcohol abuse and use of controlled substances. She told police she believed he was high on a controlled substance at the time of her 911 call, Fitzpatrick said. Previous 911 calls about Rosano, for depression, overdosing and intoxication, were made in 2010 and 2022, according to Fitzpatrick.

The officers involved in Wednesday's shooting were taken to a hospital for medical evaluation and were being treated by peer support.

Residents inside the home didn't answer Wednesday morning. A Nassau police squad car was stationed outside and lawn crews worked on yards.

Neighbors passed the home and the assembled news crews as they walked their dogs and described the area as quiet.