Utica police release video showing teen with gun after being tackled by officers

UTICA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The 13-year-old boy who brandished a gun while fleeing police kept the firearm in his hand after officers tackled him to the ground, the Utica police chief confirms to NewsChannel 9.

Chief Mark Williams points to previously undisclosed footage from the footage released over the weekend that shows the silhouette of the gun in the hand of 13-year-old Nyah Mway as police ordered him to drop it and just three seconds before an officer shot him.

Police had previously shown video of the 13-year-old running with the gun, but had not yet proven that the teen kept the weapon after he was tackled to the ground. Some critics say police should not have fired once he was on the ground.

“If you have a bias against police, you’re probably not going to change your mind,” Chief Williams said. “If you’re open-minded, all the videos will hopefully give you a different perspective.”

Three Utica police officers attempted to arrest Mway and another 13-year-old boy after they both matched the descriptions of two suspects wanted for armed robbery. After being approached, Mway took off running.

It is up to the state attorney general and his special investigations office to decide whether the prosecution of the three officers and the fatal shooting of one of them was justified. The results could take several months.

Chief Williams said the three officers could remain on paid administrative leave until the end of their terms. He is concerned for their physical safety and emotional well-being.

He has had officers not return to work because of the trauma of using deadly force. In one case, he said, an officer committed suicide.

“We are suffering with our Karen and with the community as a whole,” the chief said. “Nobody feels good about this. In the future, we have to make progress with the Karen community, try to rebuild that trust and that friendship, and it’s not going to be easy, but we’re not going to stop trying either.”