Police fatally shoot teen carrying replica handgun in upstate New York, authorities say | News, Sports, Jobs

Police are investigating the scene of a Friday night shooting in Utica, N.Y., early Saturday, June 29, 2024. A police officer shot and killed a teenager who was fleeing while pointing a replica gun, police said police on Saturday. (Kenny Lacy Jr./Syracuse.com via AP)

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — An upstate New York police officer fatally shot a 13-year-old boy who was pinned to the ground after fleeing police while carrying a replica handgun, officials said. authorities said Saturday.

The shooting happened around 10:15 p.m. Friday after police arrested two youths for an unspecified reason. “police investigation,” Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said.

One of them, identified by the police as Nyah Mway, is said to have fled the police and ” poster “ a handgun that was later revealed to be a replica of a Glock 17 Gen 5 handgun with a detachable magazine. “During a ground fight” 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 by officers and taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died, the chief said.

The replica of the gun carried by the teenager “is in all respects a realistic looking firearm with GLOCK markings, signatures, detachable magazine and serial numbers,” Lt. Michael Curley, a police spokesman, said in an email. “But in the end, he only shoots pellets or BBs.”

A witness video posted on Facebook shows one of the police officers chasing Nyah Mway and tackling him to the ground. The officer is also seen hitting the teenager as two other officers arrive. A shot rings out while the teenager is on the ground and the police quickly get up.

Williams cautioned that the bystander video does not represent the event in its entirety.

The officers involved in the shooting, whose names were not immediately released, have been placed on paid administrative leave.

The shooting shook Utica, a city about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan that is home to more than 4,200 people from Myanmar, according to The Center, a nonprofit that helps resettle refugees.

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 cracked down on widespread nonviolent protests demanding a return to democratic rule.

During 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 mayor and an interpreter struggled to speak despite repeated outbursts from the audience. Members of the community, including the young person's family, were present.

Williams had pledged to release unedited video from the officers' body cameras, but had not done so as of Saturday night.

The police department is conducting its own internal investigation to determine whether officers followed policies and training. The state attorney general, who did not respond to a request for comment Saturday, will open his own investigation 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.”

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Follow Philip Marcelo on twitter.com/philmarcelo.