The New York attorney general is investigating the fatal police shooting of a 13-year-old boy who officers say pointed a replica handgun at them during a foot chase. Nyah Mway was killed on Friday after Utica officers stopped him and another teenager who, police say, were in the area of a robbery that had been reported the previous day. When Nyah ran away, police tackled him to the ground and an officer fired a shot at him, body-camera footage shows, reports the Washington Post. “While a stop like that is routine, it became tragic in mere moments,” said Mayor Michael Galime. New York state law requires the attorney general’s office to investigate all instances when a police officer may have caused a death.
Police identified the officer as Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the department, and said officers Andrew Citriniti and Bryce Patterson were present. All three were put on paid leave. The killing outraged community members in Utica — 50 miles east of Syracuse — where Nyah’s relatives and friends gathered for a vigil in his honor on Saturday night. The incident on Friday began about 10:18 p.m., when officers stopped Nyah and another 13-year-old because they matched the descriptions of robbery suspects. Nyah was on foot, and the other teen was on a bike, body-camera footage shows. Just after an officer tells Nyah that they’re going to pat him down to confirm he doesn’t have any weapons, he starts to run away. Officers chase after him.. Nyah turns to face officers while holding what looks like a gun. An officer can be heard shouting, “Got a gun!” Police tackle Nyah to the ground as an officer yells, “Drop it!” One of the officers fires a shot, striking the teen, the video shows. What officers thought was a real firearm in his hand turned out to be a replica of a Glock 17 handgun, said Police Chief Mark Williams. On a fundraising page, Nyah’s family wrote that they had moved to the U.S. nine years ago as refugees from Myanmar.