An upstate New York city is outraged after a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed in a struggle with cops after allegedly flashing a pellet gun, according to police.
Nyah Mway was fatally shot by a Utica police officer around 10:20 p.m. on Friday night after police stopped him and another minor while they were walking down the street, police said.
Video circulating on social media shows three officers chasing the boy down a dark street and one tackling him to the ground. The two other cops join in the fray as bystanders yell at the officers.
A woman can be heard yelling “Careful, careful, yo, careful. You’re on camera.”
Suddenly, a gunshot rings out.
“Oh my God! Yo! He just shot him!” one shocked witness exclaims.
Community members expressed anger and demanded justice at Saturday’s emotional press conference, with people at times shouting over local officials.
The press conference was originally intended to be for media members only, but when officials saw the large crowd that had gathered outside city hall — including 50 of Mway’s family members — they decided to let the public attend, according to Syracuse.com
One person was seen holding a sign that said “Our parents did not flee war for their kids to be shot by police,” Syracuse.com reported.
Mway’s heartbroken mother was present and broke down and screamed as officials’ remarks were translated into her native Burmese, according to the outlet.
“There’s a lot of emotions in this room,” Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said at one point.
“But you’re asking us to be transparent, and when you shout over us, it makes it very difficult to do so.”
Mway, who is Asian, displayed what appeared to be a handgun as he was running from police, Williams said Saturday.
The officers tackled the teen to the ground and fired one shot “during a ground struggle” the chief said.
The boy was shot in the chest and died from his wounds at Wynn Hospital in Utica, cops said.
A replica Glock pellet gun with a detachable magazine was recovered, according to police.
Utica Mayor Michael Galime said that while the police stop was routine, “it became tragic in mere moments.”
“I cannot express, in words, that this point cannot change what has forever changed as of yesterday evening,” Galime said.
“Our condolences to the families, the community and all of Utica and the surrounding areas for what is going on during this event.”
After the news conference, Galime approached the boy’s mother and explained that body camera footage will be released.
As they spoke, a man yelled in the background that the officers needed to be charged with first-degree murder, according to Syracuse.com.
Another person in the crowd yelled about the community members having run “from the persecution from the Burmese army.”
Utica has a large Burmese population, according to the outlet.
The Attorney General’s office will be investigating the shooting, the mayor said.
It will also be internally investigated by the Utica Police Department.
“This is a tragic and traumatic incident for all involved,” Chief Williams said.
The three officers involved have been placed on paid leave.
Their names will be released “in a short period of time,” he said.
Police confirmed that they are aware of the video of the shooting online but said in a statement it “does not portray the incident in its entirety.”
