Police release bodycam footage of teen's fatal shooting, family demands accountability

UTICA, N.Y. (WSYR) — Police in Utica, New York, have released footage from officers' uniform cameras that appears to show a teenager pointing an object at them seconds before he was wrestled to the ground and shot. The boy's family is now demanding justice.

Shortly after 10 p.m. ET Friday, Utica police arrested two 13-year-old boys because they matched the description of a pair of suspects wanted for two recent robberies in the West Utica area , according to a department spokesperson. Officers also noted that one of the teens was walking in the road, which is a state traffic violation.

“The suspects were described as Asian males who were brandishing a black firearm and forcibly demanded and robbed the victims of their property,” police said, “…one on foot and the other on a bicycle.”

Uniform-worn camera footage shows an officer asking if he can search the teens for weapons. Nyah Mway is then seen running away from the officers, who then chase him.

The footage, some of which can be seen in the video player below, then shows Mway apparently pointing an object at the officers.

“A gun! I have a gun!” a police officer can be heard shouting as he chases Mway.

Officer Bryce Patterson caught up to Nyah Mway, tackled him to the ground and punched him, and as the two struggled on the ground, Officer Patrick Husnay opened fire, body camera video showed.

The police called for help and provided first aid themselves before an ambulance arrived. Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said at a news conference Saturday that the single gunshot hit the youth in the chest.

In addition to the video, police released photos, shown below, that show the gun found near Mway's body. Police have since determined that it was a “Glock” brand pellet gun.

“We will cooperate fully with the attorney general's office,” Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said Saturday morning. “It will be up to them to decide whether or not the shooting is justified.”

Three officers involved — Bryce Patterson, Andrew Citriniti and Patrick Husnay, who fired the shot — are on paid administrative leave, a department policy after an officer-involved shooting.

Under New York law, the attorney general's office investigates every death at the hands of law enforcement. The Utica Police Department's investigation, meanwhile, will determine whether officers followed policies and training.

The police chief called the shooting “a tragic and traumatic incident for everyone involved.”

Family, community demand accountability after shooting

As the official investigation continues, Nyah Mway's family and outraged community members have demanded accountability for the death of the teenager, who was born in Myanmar and a member of the Karen ethnic minority.

Utica residents of Karen descent planned to meet Sunday afternoon with Utica Mayor Michael P. Galime, said Daniel Cribb, who works with a Karen community group. A message seeking comment was sent to the town hall.

At a vigil Saturday night, Nyah Mway's brother, Lah, said through an interpreter that he would not be satisfied until the officers “are put in jail,” Syracuse reported. com.

Nyah Mway and her family arrived in the United States nine years ago, according to speakers at the vigil.

Others at the vigil questioned officials' account of the shooting.

“None of this matters,” said Kay Klo, one of the people at the rally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.