According to the DA's office and published reports, 23-year-old Bronx resident Kenrick Cowan has been charged with manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree, and leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death without reporting, among other charges, for fatally striking Ullah. According to Streetsblog, who first reported on this indictment, the top charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Authorities said that Cowan was arrested last month by the NYPD's Bronx Warrants Squad for an unrelated shooting in the Bronx and was later charged with killing Ullah, who was 24.
Around 10 p.m. on July 8, an unmarked police car pursued Cowan. Per the DA's statement:
NYPD officers attempted to pull Cowan over for speeding and committing other traffic violations as he drove his Subaru Outback eastbound on East Houston Street ... Cowan led the police officers on a high-speed chase, weaved through traffic, and drove through a red light at the corner of East Houston and Clinton Streets, where he struck Ullah — who was riding his bicycle north on Clinton Street — and then fled the scene.
As Streetsblog previously reported, a police chase preceded the collision, though the NYPD declined to comment on the case.
Ullah is reportedly one of 13 delivery workers who have died this year in NYC — with at least 10 in crashes while on the job.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. said this in a statement from this past Thursday:
"Today we remember Borkot Ullah, a young immigrant and workers' rights advocate who worked tirelessly to support his family here in New York City and in Bangladesh. Food delivery workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the City thanks to reckless drivers who tear through our streets. We are committed to ensuring accountability for drivers that kill or injure cyclists and pedestrians ..."
A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $30,000 to help Ullah's family both here and in Bangladesh with expenses. His body was returned to Bangladesh, where he was buried on July 15.
This fall, a ghost bike was installed outside 8-10 Avenue B in Ullah's memory.