What we know about the fatal police shooting of a 13-year-old boy in upstate New York
NEW YORK — Police in upstate New York tackled and then shot a 13-year-old boy who pointed an object, later revealed to be a BB gun, at officers during a foot chase.
Officials in Utica released body camera footage of Friday night’s shooting on Saturday and held a heated public meeting attended by the teen’s family and other members of the local refugee community.
The Public Prosecution Service is investigating and the police officers involved have been suspended, in accordance with protocol for this type of shooting.
Here’s what you need to know.
The shooting happened around 10 p.m. on a residential street in Utica, an old industrial city about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan, on the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains.
According to police, three officers on patrol stopped to question two youths. One of the teens, Nyah Mway, then fled on foot and pointed what police said appeared to be a gun at the officers. After tackling the teen to the ground, one of the officers fired a single shot into his chest. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Mway, whose family name is Nyah, was a Karen refugee born in Myanmar. He had just graduated from high school and was set to enter high school in the fall.
His anguished relatives and other members of the local Karen community have called for police accountability for what they see as an unjust killing, as Mway was already overpowered and lying on the ground when he was shot.
The teen’s family said Monday they were waiting for coroners to release his body so they could make funeral arrangements. The Onondaga County Public Health Department said the cause and manner of death were pending and the autopsy report had not yet been made public.
Mway’s cousin Lay Htoo told The Associated Press that the family came to the U.S. for education and good jobs in hopes of living a peaceful life after decades of struggle and violence in Myanmarthat is in the grip of a civil war.
The police have the names of the three officers released involved in the incident, and said they were assigned to a crime prevention unit. Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the department, was the officer who shot the boy.
Bryce Patterson, a four-year law enforcement veteran, and Andrew Citriniti, a two-year veteran who previously worked with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, were the other officers involved.
All three remain on paid administrative leave, which is standard in police-involved shootings, Lt. Michael Curley, a department spokesman, confirmed Monday.
The videos released late saturday night show a chaotic scene.
In the footage, an officer says he has to frisk the two teens standing on a sidewalk to make sure they don’t have any weapons. One runs down the street and appears to be holding a dark object as he runs away.
The officers yell “gun!” before one of them tackles him and punches him. Another officer opens fire as the two wrestle on the ground.
Bystanders can be heard shouting at police during the footage. At one point, an officer yells back, “We’re trying to save him now!”
According to police, the BB or air gun Mway pointed to strongly resembled a Glock 17 Gen 5 pistol with a detachable magazine.
The Department released images that the device did not have an orange band on the barrel, which many BB gun manufacturers have added in recent years to distinguish their products from real firearms.
Police Chief Mark Williams said officers arrested the teens because they matched descriptions of suspects from recent robberies in the area.
He said the suspects in those cases were Asian men — one walking and the other on a bicycle — who brandished a black firearm.
Mayor Michael Galime spoke on Saturday and met with the family in private. He also spoke addressed the Karen community during a heated meeting at a local church on Sunday, where he rejected claims that the shooting was a sign of prejudice.
“What I saw in the bodycam footage and in all the reports that I read leading up to that incident was that there was no reference or indication that there was any racism,” Galime told the crowd.
Michael Gentile, his chief of staff, declined to comment further Monday, saying the mayor “was asked a direct question about racism, and he gave a direct answer that has not changed.”
Karens are a Ethnic minority who are among the groups waging war against the military leaders of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Utica, a city of over 65,000 people, is home to over 4,200 people from Myanmar, according to The Center is a non-profit organization that helps refugees with their relocation.
They are among the thousands refugees from different countries who have settled in the area in recent decades and who, by some estimates, now make up more than 20% of the population of the vanished Rust Belt center.
Attorney General Letitia James’ office is conducting an investigation to determine whether the police use of force was justified, as is common in police-involved shootings.
Her office said Monday that the investigation is ongoing and that no time frame could be given for its completion.
The police are conducting their own investigation to ensure officers have followed proper procedures, policies and training.
Curley said Monday that James’ office will provide any additional details about the criminal investigation into the shooting.
___
Associated Press radio reporter Julie Walker contributed to this report.
___
Follow Philip Marcelo on twitter.com/philmarcelo.