A 13-year-old boy carrying a replica gun was shot dead by US police in Utica, New York

The mother of the 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed by Utica police cries after listening to a translator inside City Hall in Utica, New York. Photo: Reuters

An upstate New York police officer fatally shot a 13-year-old boy who was pinned to the ground after fleeing police while carrying a replica handgun, authorities said Saturday.

The shooting happened around 10:15 p.m. local time Friday after officers arrested two youths for an unspecified “police investigation,” Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said.