Authorities say police killed a Utica teenager wielding a replica gun

NEW YORK (AP) — Video released Saturday evening shows an upstate New York police officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy who was knocked to the ground after he ran from police and pointed a replica firearm at them.

The teenager was killed Friday just after 10 p.m. in Utica after officers in the city about 240 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan detained two youths in connection with an investigation into an armed robbery, police said.

Police said the 13-year-old juveniles matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects and were in the same location at about the same time the next day. One of them was also walking in the roadway, in violation of state traffic laws.

Body-worn camera footage released by police shows an officer saying he needs to search them to make sure they don’t have any weapons on them. Immediately, one of the men, identified by police as Nyah Mway, runs away.

Authorities froze frames of video showing Nyah Mway running and pointing a gun at officers pursuing her. Police also edited the video by inserting a red circle around the gun to show it to viewers.

According to the police, the officers thought it was a handgun, but later it was determined that it was a replica of the Glock 17 Gen 5 pistol with a replaceable magazine.

Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said that “during the ground struggle” with the teen, one officer fired a single shot that struck the boy in the chest.

According to the police chief, the teenager was given “immediate” first aid and taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died.

The replica gun carried by the teen “is a realistic-looking firearm in all respects with GLOCK markings, signatures, removable magazine and serial numbers,” Lt. Michael Curley, a police spokesman, said in an email. “But ultimately it only shoots pellets or BBs.”

A video posted on Facebook by a witness shows one of the officers chasing Nyah Mwaya and knocking him to the ground. The footage also shows the officer punching the teenager as two other officers arrive. A shot rings out as the teenager lies on the ground, and the officers quickly get to their feet.

The officer who fired the shot was identified as Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the agency. Husnay and officers Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti have been placed on paid administrative leave.

The police camera footage shows a chaotic scene.

Nyah Mway runs from officers with a replica pistol. Officers shout “gun!” at each other as they run. Patterson then attacks and hits Nyah Mway, and as the two struggle on the ground, Husnay opens fire.

Initially, officers thought Nyah Mway might have shot himself, with Patterson saying, “I don’t know if he shot me.” It’s unclear whether he meant Nyah Mway or his friend. Patterson was not struck.

Throughout the video, passers-by shout at the police, and at one point an officer shouts back: “We’re trying to save him right now!”

The second youth was detained in the backseat of the police vehicle and was not involved in the shooting.

During his “public safety statement,” a brief interview typically conducted after a police-involved shooting to ensure there is no additional threat, Husnay said he fired one shot “straight into the ground.” He didn’t know whether Nyah Mway fired at the officers, but said he believed the gun was a .22-caliber handgun.

The police department released body-worn camera footage after public outrage over the shooting in Utica, a city of 65,000 people where more than 4,200 people from Myanmar live, According to the Centrea non-profit organization that helps resettle refugees.

Nyah Mway, who local media reported was an eighth-grade student at Donovan Secondary School, was identified as a Myanmar-born refugee from the Karen ethnic minority.

Karen are ethnic minority among groups fighting the military rulers of Burma, the Southeast Asian country formerly known as Myanmar. The army overthrew the elected government Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and repressed widespread peaceful protests aimed at restoring democratic rule.

Saturday’s tense news conference ended early as Williams, the mayor and an interpreter struggled to speak over repeated outbursts from the audience. Members of the community, including the youth’s family, were present.

Police are conducting an internal investigation into whether officers followed policies and training. The state’s attorney general will open his own case to determine whether the shooting was justified.

“I want to offer my deepest condolences to the deceased party’s family at this difficult time,” Williams said. “This is a tragic and traumatic incident for all involved.”

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Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Follow Philip Marcelo on twitter.com/philmarcelo.