Parents of Carle Place man fatally shot by Nassau police file lawsuit

The parents of a Carle Place man who was fatally shot by Nassau police filed a lawsuit saying their son did not pose a threat to officers when he was killed outside their Rushmore Avenue home last year.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Nassau Supreme Court by Lawrence and Janet Rosano, contends the police department did not properly train the officers to de-escalate tense situations involving people suffering from mental health crises.

Their son, James Rosano, 33, was carrying what police said they believed was a long rifle when he was shot and killed by an officer on Sept. 3, 2025. Authorities later recovered an air rifle from the scene.

"The decedent, James Rosano, did not pose any imminent danger, any imminent threat of death, or serious bodily injury to the defendants," the lawsuit said.

The fatal shooting is being investigated by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, which said its review is ongoing.

The lawsuit does not specify monetary damages.

James’ office released body camera footage of the incident in June, which Bob Fallarino, one of the attorneys representing the Rosanos, said shows that Rosano posed no threat to the officers. The body-camera footage from officers Logan, Rosales and Udle, whose first names have been withheld, is the basis of the lawsuit, Fallarino said.

“This is a situation where the family was calling for help and there was a clear overreaction,” Fallarino said in a telephone interview.

The lawsuit names the Nassau County Police Department, Commissioner Patrick Ryder, Inspector Joseph T. Massaro, Deputy Inspector Robert Connolly and the three officers involved in the incident as defendants.

A spokesman for the Nassau police said he could not comment on pending litigation. The Nassau Police Benevolent Association did not respond to a request for comment and the Nassau Superior Officers Association declined to comment.

Officers responded to a 911 call at the Rushmore Avenue home last year from someone “who said they feared for their safety,” James’ office said in a news release. Nassau police said at the time of the shooting that Janet Rosano, the deceased man’s mother, had called 911. She told police that her son had a history of alcohol and substance abuse.

The body-camera footage shows the officers repeatedly ordering Rosano to drop the weapon. The video shows Rosano stumbling around the side of the home holding a weapon in his right hand. He does not appear to point the rifle at the officers or anyone during the confrontation.

Logan and Udle aimed their flashlights and service weapons at Rosano while shouting at him to drop the rifle. Udle, standing near a vehicle parked by the driveway, discharged his gun once, striking Rosano in the chest.

Rosano was transported to NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island in Mineola, where he was pronounced dead.