Video shows New York officer fatally shooting 13-year-old to ground. Police say he pointed a replica gun

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 3 minutes read

Philippe Marcelo and Stefanie Dazio
| Associated Press

new York — Video released Saturday night shows an upstate New York officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy who was pinned to the ground after he fled police and pointed a replica handgun at them.

The teenager was killed Friday night in Utica after police in the city, about 240 miles northwest of Manhattan, arrested two youths a little after 10 p.m. as part of an armed robbery investigation , the police said.

The youths, both 13, matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects and were in the same area around the same time the next day, police said. One of them was also walking on the road, which is a violation under state traffic laws.

Body camera video released by police shows an officer saying he has to search them to make sure they don't have any weapons in their possession. Immediately, one of the two men, identified by police as Nyah Mway, runs away.

Authorities froze frames of the video where 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 handgun 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, Williams said.

The teenager received “immediate” first aid from officers and was taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died, the chief said.

The toy gun carried by the teen “is in every respect a realistic firearm with GLOCK markings, signatures, detachable magazine and serial numbers,” Lt. Michael Curley, prosecutor, said by email. word of the police. “However, at the end of the day, he only shoots pellets or BBs. »

A video posted on Facebook by a witness shows one of the officers chasing Nyah Mway and pinning him to the ground. The officer is also seen punching the teenager as two other officers arrive. A gunshot rings out as the teenager is on the ground and the officers quickly get up.

The officer who fired his weapon has been identified as Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the agency. Husnay and officers Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

The police department released the body camera video following public outcry as the shooting raged in Utica, a city of more than 65,000 about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan. It is home to more than 4,200 people from Myanmar, according to The Center, a nonprofit that helps with refugee resettlement.

Nyah Mway, who local media reported was an 8th grader at Donovan Middle School, was identified as a Myanmar-born refugee and member of the Karen ethnic minority.

The Karen are an ethnic minority who are among the groups at war with the military rulers of the Southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma. The military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and suppressed many nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule.

At a tense news conference Saturday, Williams would not say what prompted police to arrest the two youths or what the investigation was about. The news conference ended early as Williams, the city's mayor and an interpreter struggled to speak over repeated shouts from the audience. Community members, including the youth's family, were in attendance.

The police department is conducting its own 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 extend my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased during this difficult time,” Williams said. “This is a tragic and traumatic incident for everyone involved.”

Dazio reported from Los Angeles.

Lina Portman

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