Boy Shot By Utica Police Officer Identified, Vigil Tonight

Utica, NY — A 13-year-old boy shot and killed by a Utica police officer during a fight has been identified and a vigil has been planned for tonight.

The boy killed was Nyah Mway, a Karen refugee born in Burma, said Dah Eh, a family friend.

The boy just finished 8th grade at Donovan Middle School in Utica.

The vigil is planned for 8 p.m. in the 900 block of Shaw Street, where he was shot. Eh asked people to bring candles.

Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said during a news conference Saturday that the boy was shot around 10:18 p.m. after police stopped two juveniles walking in the 900 block of Shaw Street. Police have not yet released the name of the boy who was shot.

One of the youths, a 13-year-old boy, fled from the police, he said.

As the boy ran away, he displayed what appeared to be a handgun, the chief said. The boy was shot in the chest during a “ground struggle,” he said. The boy died at Wynn Hospital.

A replica of a Glock air pistol with a detachable magazine was found, he said.

Related article: Boy shot by officer in Utica while fighting had pellet gun, chief says

Eh said Nyah was walking a friend home from a Bible study when police stopped them.

The boy was outgoing and loved the game Fortnite, she said. He also played with other children on his street. He loved riding his bike and being outside.

He was born in Burma and his family came to Utica about nine years ago, she said.

Utica is home to a large number of Burmese refugees who have settled here over the past two decades to escape violence and persecution in their home country. Burma is also known as Myanmar.

Her parents are still acclimating to American culture and learning English, she said.

Two days ago, Nyah held a “moving up” ceremony to celebrate the end of her eighth grade and her move to high school. He has four siblings.

Tomorrow at 4 p.m., the Karen community will hold a meeting at Tabernacle Baptist Church, just over a kilometer from where Nyah was shot, to determine how the community will move forward, she said.

“We just want justice,” Eh said.

Editor Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Do you have advice, a story idea, a photo, a question or a comment? Contact her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or [email protected].