New York, United States

 A 13-year-old boy was fatally shot by a police officer in upstate New York, United States after the teen was armed with what the officials said appeared to be a gun. 

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The video of the incident released on Saturday (Jun 29) shows the boy being tackled to the ground after he ran from officers and pointed what the police later determined was a replica handgun at them.

What we know about the incident

The police said that the teen was killed sometime after 10:00 pm (local time) on Friday (Jun 28) in the New York city of Utica when three officers stopped two young people in connection with an armed robbery investigation. 

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While the officers were questioning the teens, one of them fled on foot, said the Utica police in a news release. The police said that the youth, both 13, matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects and were spotted in the same area around the same time the next day. 

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The victim had fled after the police, as per the footage, said that they needed to pat them down to make sure they didn’t have any weapons in their possession.

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Subsequently, the teen later identified as Nyah Mway, 13, ran and the police spotted what “appeared to be a handgun,” the Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said in a press conference on  Saturday morning. 

“A Utica police officer ultimately discharged his firearm once, striking the male, during a ground struggle,” he added. He was frequently interrupted by the outraged community members.

According to Williams, Mway was given immediate first aid and taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. 

It wasn’t until after the shooting that the officers recovered a pellet gun resembling a Glock 17 handgun, said the Utica police chief. 

The police officer who allegedly shot and killed Mway was identified as Patrick Husnay. 

The New York attorney general’s office said that they have opened an investigation into the shooting. Utica police said it is conducting its own investigation. 

All three officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave.

Incident sparks outrage

Hundreds of people attended a community vigil for the teen, reported ABC News. Lay Htoo, Mway’s uncle, told the media outlet that he and his family were depressed and saddened.

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Htoo said his family was from Myanmar and his nephew had moved to Utica eight years ago. Mway had recently graduated from middle school and was a “very good kid,” said Htoo. 

The police department released the body cam footage after a public outcry over the shooting. Utica, a city with a population of 65,000, is also home to more than 4,200 people from Myanmar, reported the Associated Press. 

Mway, as per media reports, was a refugee born in Myanmar and a member of the Karen ethnic minority.

(With inputs from agencies)