Boy, 13, shot dead by New York police had replica gun, authorities say
Authorities in New York state have reported that police shot and killed a 13-year-old boy who fled from officers while holding a replica handgun.
On Friday night, officers stopped Nyah Mway and another 13-year-old, as they matched the descriptions of suspects wanted for recent robberies in Utica. When questioned, Nyah Mway ran away, prompting a chase. Utica Police Chief Mark Williams stated that officers noticed what “appeared to be a handgun.”
During the chase, one officer wrestled the boy to the ground. During the struggle, another officer fired a single shot, hitting the teenager in the chest. Despite receiving first aid at the scene, he later died at Wynn Hospital.
Police released several minutes of body camera footage from the officers involved on Saturday night. This followed a press conference where outraged community members heckled the Utica police chief, attended by the boy’s family.
Utica Mayor Michael Galime called for calm, emphasizing the need to fully understand the situation.
The footage shows the teenager pointing what police described as the replica weapon while running away. Officers can be heard shouting “gun!” to each other. Initially believed to be a real handgun, it was later determined to be a replica of a Glock 17 that could only fire pellets or BBs.
The three officers involved were patrolling the West Utica area, assisting with two recent robbery investigations.
In one of the incidents on 27 June, two men armed with a black firearm forcibly demanded and stole property from victims. The suspects were described as an Asian male and a dark-skinned male – one travelling by foot and one on a bicycle.
Authorities say they stopped Nyah Mway and the other teenager based on these “identifying factors” at around 22:00 local time.
The officers involved have been named as Patrick Husnay, who fired the fatal shot, Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti. They have been placed on administrative leave.
The shooting is being investigated by both the New York attorney general’s office and Utica police.
