A nearly blind refugee was found dead in Buffalo, N.Y., after Border Patrol agents abandoned him miles from his home, the Investigative Post, a local news outlet, reported Wednesday.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s body was discovered Tuesday night and his death is currently under investigation, police said. The Erie County Medical Examiner determined that his death was “health related in nature,” and not due to exposure or homicide, according to Buffalo City Hall spokesperson Ian Ott.
Shah Alam, a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee from Burma whose attorney noted he did not speak English, is survived by his wife and two sons.
Buffalo police arrested Shah Alam last year after he ended up on a woman’s porch during a walk, and allegedly did not drop a curtain rod that he was using as a walking stick, the outlet reported. Two police officers experienced minor injuries in the incident, per Reuters.
Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam’s sons, told Reuters that the arrest stemmed from a misunderstanding. Shah Alam didn’t comprehend the commands to drop the walking stick and was arrested as a result, Faisal said.
