A community is grieving after a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed by a police officer in upstate New York on Friday night.
The teenage victim was identified as Nyah Mway, a member of the Karen refugee community who had graduated from 8th grade earlier that week.
In body camera footage released by the department, Mway begins to run after an officer said he was about to be patted down for a weapon, leading to a brief chase during which the boy flashed what looked like a gun, according to police and their slowed-down version of footage released.
“During the course of his flight the juvenile displayed what appeared to be a handgun,” said Utica Police Department in a statement. Authorities later acknowledged it was a pellet gun that resembled a Glock handgun.
In the footage, an officer chasing Mway yells, “Gun!” and tackles him to the ground. As authorities hold Mway on the ground, an officer shot his weapon once, killing Mway.
The incident occurred after officers from the Utica Police Department stopped Mway and another boy on a street in downtown Utica. Police say they stopped the boys around 10:15 p.m. at the 900 block of Shaw Street while searching for the suspects in two robbery investigations, described as “Asian males” or “one Asian male and one dark-skinned male.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser for the family, apparently started by Mway’s sibling, says that the family moved to the United States nine years ago seeking refugee from ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.
“My brother was returning home from an 8th grade graduation barbecue. He has never gotten in trouble with law enforcement before, he was a good kid,” the description of the fundraiser says.
The description goes on to question the police’s account of the events. It says that police told Mway’s family that there was a “shoot out” when they informed them of the incident.
A family member told The New York Times that police told the parents their son was in the hospital but by the time they arrived he had already died.
Police say they stopped the two boys “based on the listed identifying factors” and that Mway was “walking in the roadway in violation of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law 1156a,” meaning that he was just simply walking in the road.
Officer Patrick Husnay, who shot Mway, and the three others involved have been placed on paid administrative leave.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time. We will continue to be as transparent and accessible to the family and community as legally allowed as this process continues,” a statement from the police department says.
Members of the local community have expressed outrage over the incident, demanding justice for the young boy and his family.
“No justice, no peace,” people yelled at City Hall on Saturday as the mayor and police chief gave a press conference.
A candlelight vigil was held for the teenage boy with locals bringing signs, balloons, flowers and more to honor Mway.
The Police Department, as well as the New York Attorney General’s Office, will investigate the matter. Utica city and police officials told locals they would be “transparent” during their investigation.