Video shows US police officer fatally shooting 13-year-old on ground | Gun Violence News

New York State Police, where the incident occurred, said the teenager was carrying a replica gun.

Video released Saturday night shows an upstate New York police officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy who was pinned to the ground after he ran from police and pointed a replica handgun at them.

The teenager was killed shortly after 10 p.m. Friday (0200 GMT) in Utica after police in the city about 400 km (240 miles) northwest of Manhattan arrested two youths as part of an investigation for armed robbery, police said.

The youths, both 13, matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects and were in the same neighborhood around the same time the next day, police said. One of them was also walking in the road, which is a violation of state traffic laws.

Body camera video released by police shows an officer saying he has to search them to make sure they don't have any weapons in their possession. Immediately, one of the two, identified by the police as Nyah Mway, fled.

Authorities have frozen footage from the video where Nyah Mway appears to run and point the gun at the pursuing police officers. Police also edited the video to insert a red circle around the gun to show it to viewers.

Officers thought it was a handgun, police said, but it was later determined to be a replica of a Glock 17 Gen5 handgun with a magazine removable.

“During a struggle on the ground” with the teen, one of the officers fired a single shot that struck the boy in the chest, Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said.

The teen received “immediate” first aid from officers and was taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died, the chief said.

The replica gun carried by the teen “is in all respects a realistic-looking firearm with GLOCK markings, signatures, detachable magazine and serial numbers,” police spokesman Lt. Michael Curley said in an email. “But ultimately, it only fires 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.

The officer who fired his weapon was identified as Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the force. Husnay and Officers Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti have been placed on paid administrative leave.

Police body camera video shows a chaotic scene.

Nyah Mway points the replica gun at the police as he runs away. The police shout to each other “Gun!” ” while running. Patterson then tackles Nyah Mway and punches him, and as the two struggle on the ground, Husnay opens fire.

Police initially thought Nyah Mway might have killed himself, and Patterson said, “I don't know if he shot me.” » It is not clear whether he is referring to Nyah Mway or his fellow officer. Patterson was not hit.

Bystanders shout at police throughout the recordings, and at one point an officer responds, “We're trying to save him right now!”

The other youth was arrested in the back of a police vehicle and was not involved in the shooting.

During his “public safety statement,” a brief interview typically conducted after a police shooting to ensure there is no additional threat, Husnay said he fired one round “directly toward the ground.” He did not know whether Nyah Mway fired at the officers but said he believed the weapon was a .22-caliber pistol.

The police department released the body-camera videos following a public outcry as the shooting raged in Utica, a city of 65,000 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 eighth-grade student at Donovan Middle School, was identified as a Myanmar-born refugee and member of the Karen ethnic minority.

A tense news conference ended early Saturday as Williams, the city's mayor and an interpreter struggled to speak amid repeated outbursts from the audience. Community members, including the boy's family, were in attendance.

The police department is conducting an internal investigation to see if officers followed policies and training. The state attorney general will open his own case 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.”