Teenager killed by police in New York to be buried

UTICA, NY – A 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police in upstate New York after pointing what turned out to be an air rifle at officers was buried Saturday.

Nyah Mway’s funeral will be held in the morning at Friedel, Williams & Edmunds, a funeral home in Utica, according to Jim Friedel, the company’s director and funeral director, with a ceremony to follow at a local cemetery.

Mway, whose last name is Nyah, was killed on June 28 after he stopped on the street and fled from officers, according to Utica police.

Body camera footage released by police shows officers shouting “Gun!” before one of them throws Mway to the ground and punches him. Another officer opens fire as the two wrestle on the ground.

The teenager was shot in the chest and died in hospital. Police said they found an air pistol that resembled a Glock 17 at the scene.

Mway was a Myanmar-born refugee and member of the Karen ethnic minority who had just completed middle school.

His relatives and other members of the local Karen community called for the police to be held accountable, as the boy was already handcuffed and lying on the ground when he was shot.

The Attorney General’s Office is investigating and the police officers involved have been placed on leave in accordance with protocol.