Anger erupts after police shoot dead 13-year-old holding replica gun in New York

Utica residents held a vigil as others protested the New York Police Department after a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed Friday night.

Authorities said the teenager, a Karen refugee from Myanmar, brandished what appeared to be a gun. It later turned out to be a replica.

Police said in a news release Saturday evening that three officers arrested two teenagers around 10 p.m. local time Friday.

This action was part of an investigation into several recent thefts. While officers were questioning the teens, one of them fled on foot, police said.

Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said at a news conference Saturday morning that as the teen was running, officers saw what appeared to be a handgun.

Community members attending the conference frequently interrupted Williams, expressing outrage.

One of the officers fired his weapon and hit the teenager, who was described as an Asian male.

“A Utica police officer ultimately fired his firearm once, striking the man during a struggle on the ground,” Williams said.

He said the teenager, identified as Nyah Mway, 13, received immediate first aid from officers at the scene and was transported to Wynn Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Williams mentioned that after the shooting, officers recovered a pellet gun that looked like a Glock 17 pistol with a detachable magazine.

“Ultimately, it was determined that this replica handgun was a pellet gun,” Williams revealed.

The officer responsible for Mway's fatal shooting is Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the Utica Police Department.

Police said two other officers, Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti, were also part of the incident involving Mway.

According to a statement released Saturday evening, police said the three officers were patrolling the area following reports of at least two recent robberies.

Police said the three officers approached the two teens because they matched the descriptions of the suspects involved in the recent robberies and were nearby shortly after the robbery.

On Saturday evening, police also released footage from body cameras worn by the three officers, as well as a photo of the recovered pellet gun.

According to the images, the teenager identified as Mway fled immediately after being arrested by the police. As he ran, he briefly pointed what police described as the pellet gun at the pursuing officers.

Within 15 to 20 seconds of the chase beginning, footage shows Patterson pinning Mway to a sidewalk. During the scuffle, Husnay approached and fired a single shot.

Police have acknowledged the existence of a separate cellphone video of the incident circulating on social media, saying it does not capture the entire sequence of events.

The New York Attorney General's office announced Saturday evening that it had opened an investigation into the shooting.

Utica police said they are conducting their own investigation and have placed the three officers on paid administrative leave.

An interpreter was present at the tense news conference to translate for the victim's family and community members. Utica Mayor Michael Galime intervened, calling for calm.

Galime stressed the seriousness of the situation and expressed his commitment to deeply understanding each aspect.

The ethnicity of the victim's family has not been revealed, but Utica has received a significant number of refugees in recent years, including many Asian refugees from Burma, such as the Karen ethnic group, as well as others like Vietnamese, Thais and Cambodians. The city also welcomes Bosnian and Dominican refugees, among others.

The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees noted that just over 19 percent of Utica's population is foreign-born, highlighting the city's diverse demographic landscape.

Utica City School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Davis commented on the incident, saying it highlights the challenges facing the community and expressing support for law enforcement's efforts to maintain the security.