NEW YORK — A police officer in upstate New York fatally shot a running 13-year-old boy with a “realistic-looking firearm,” authorities said Saturday.
Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said the shooting happened Friday night after officers in the city, about 250 miles northwest of Manhattan, stopped two young men shortly after 10 p.m.
One of them fled on foot and pointed what appeared to be a gun at the officers, he said during a conversation. Press conference at Utica City Hall. Members of the community, including the young man’s family, were present.
One of the officers fired a single shot at the teen “during a struggle on the ground,” hitting him in the chest, Williams said.
The teen received “immediate” first aid from officers and was taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died, the chief said.
He was identified as Nyah Mway, a 13-year-old Karen refugee born in Myanmar and an 8th grader at Donovan Middle School, Lt. Michael Curley, a department spokesman, confirmed Saturday.
Utica, a city of more than 65,000 located along the Mohawk River, is home to more than 4,200 people from Myanmar, according to The Center, a non-profit organization that helps resettle refugees.
Karens are a ethnic minority who are among the groups that are at war with the military rulers of the country formerly known as Burma. The army overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and suppressed widespread non-violent protests seeking a return to democratic rule.
Kathleen Davis, interim superintendent of the Utica City School District, offered condolences to the victim’s family in a statement posted statement online.
Davis expressed “deep sadness” over the “tragic and senseless loss” and also offered support to “our law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to ensure our streets remain safe.”
Williams, the police chief, declined to provide further details about what prompted the stop or preceded the shooting, saying that will be part of the investigation. Officers recovered a replica of a GLOCK 17 Gen 5 handgun with a removable magazine from the scene, he added.
“It is in all respects a realistic looking firearm with GLOCK markings, signatures, removable magazine and serial numbers,” Curley said via email later when asked to explain more about the weapon. “However, ultimately it only shoots pellets or BBs.”
Williams said in the coming days the department will release a report on the incident, as well as full-body camera video from the officers involved. The officer who fired the shot has not been publicly identified.
At City Hall on Saturday, people sometimes silenced staffers’ comments, while at other times people called for silence so that members of the Karen community could hear translations from an interpreter.
Mayor Michael Galime said the city will be transparent in its investigation and that he and other officials will meet privately with the teen’s family and other community members.
“We are holding this press conference so everyone can be in this room,” he said. “We understand the weight of this situation and want to make sure every bit of this is understood. Everything will be disclosed and everyone in this room and the entire community will have access to all this information.”
Williams said the New York State Attorney General’s Office will conduct the investigation and determine whether it was warranted. The office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.
The police department will also conduct its own internal investigation into whether officers followed policies and training, according to Williams.
The managers involved will be placed on paid administrative leave, as per protocol, he added.
Williams said the department is aware of a video of the incident that circulated on social media, but cautioned that it does not depict the incident in its entirety.
“I want to offer my sincerest condolences to the family of the deceased during this difficult time,” he said. “This is a tragic and traumatic incident for everyone involved.”
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