NEW YORK (AP) — Video released Saturday night shows an officer in upstate New York fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy who had been wrestled to the ground after he ran from police and pointed a replica handgun at them.
The teenager was killed shortly after 10 p.m. Friday in Utica after officers in the city, about 240 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan, detained two youths in connection with an armed robbery investigation, police said.
The youths, both 13 years old, matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects and were in the same area at approximately the same time the next day, police said. One of them was also walking down the street, which violates state traffic law.
Body camera video released by police captures an officer saying he needs to pat them down to make sure they don’t have weapons in their possession. Immediately, one of the two, identified by the police as Nyah Mway, flees.
Authorities froze the video frames in which Nyah Mway appears to run and point the gun at the pursuing officers. Police also edited the video to insert a red circle around the gun to show it to viewers.
Officers believed it was a handgun, police said, but it was later determined to be a replica of a Glock 17 Gen 5 pistol with a detachable magazine.
“During a struggle on the ground” with the teen, one of the officers fired a single shot that hit the boy in the chest, Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said.
Officers provided “immediate” first aid to the teen and took him to Wynn Hospital, where he died, the chief said.
The replica gun carried by the teen “is in all respects a realistic-looking firearm with GLOCK markings, signatures, detachable magazine and serial numbers,” police spokesman Lt. Michael Curley said in an email. “Ultimately, though, it just shoots pellets or ammunition.”
A video posted on Facebook by a bystander shows one of the officers chasing Nyah Mway and tackling him to the ground. It also shows the officer punching the teen as two other officers arrive. A gunshot is heard as the teen is on the ground and the officers quickly get to their feet.
The officer who fired his weapon was identified as Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the agency. Husnay and officers Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti were placed on paid administrative leave.
Police body camera video shows a chaotic scene.
Nyah Mway points the replica gun at the officers as she runs away from them. The agents yell “gun!” while they run. Patterson then knocks down and punches Nyah Mway, and as the two fight on the ground, Husnay opens fire.
Officers initially thought Nyah Mway might have shot herself, and Patterson says, “I don’t know if she shot me.” It is not clear if he is referring to Nyah Mway or his fellow officer. Patterson was not hit.
Bystanders shout at police throughout the footage, and at one point an officer yells, “We’re trying to save him right now!”
The other young man was detained in the back of a police vehicle and did not participate in the shooting.
During his “public safety statement,” a brief interview typically conducted after a police shooting to ensure there is no additional threat, Husnay said he fired one round “directly into the ground.” He did not know whether Nyah Mway had fired at the officers, but said he believed the weapon was a .22-caliber handgun.
The police department released the body camera videos following public outcry as the shooting rocked Utica, a city with a population of 65,000. It is home to more than 4,200 people from Myanmar, According to the Centera non-profit organization that helps resettle refugees.
Nyah Mway, who local media reported was an eighth-grade student at Donovan Middle School, was identified as a Myanmar-born refugee and member of the Karen ethnic minority.
Karen’s are a Ethnic minority among groups at war with the military rulers of Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma. The military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and suppressed widespread non-violent protests seeking a return to democratic rule.
Saturday’s tense news conference ended early as Williams, the city’s mayor and an interpreter struggled to speak over repeated outbursts from the audience. Community members, including the young man’s family, were present.
The police department is conducting an internal investigation to see if officers followed policies and training. The state attorney general will open his own case to determine whether the shooting was justified.
“I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased during 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 Felipe Marcelo on twitter.com/philmarcelo.
