Police officer involved in shooting, teenager dead

At Utica City Hall, the cries of a grieving mother could be heard at a press conference Saturday morning reporting on the death of a 13-year-old member of the Karen community at the hands of a police officer Friday night.

What began as rumbling grew into screams from all sides as Utica Mayor Michael Galime spoke with the 13-year-old boy’s mother and family through an interpreter.

Saturday’s press conference was originally intended for members of the press, but was opened to the general public due to the large number of people in attendance, the mayor said.

“We called this press conference not only to explain everything and be completely transparent, but to express our condolences to the family and the community for their loss,” Galime said. “Last night, a stop like the one that took place was routine, but it became almost tragic in moments. We understand that and are here to be completely transparent and explain everything to the community about the incident and the process moving forward.”

Timeline of events

As he turned the press conference over to the police chief, Williams attempted to provide a timeline of events.

According to Police Chief Mark Williams, Utica police officers stopped two pedestrians in the 900 block of Shaw Street at around 10:18 p.m. on Friday, June 28.

One of the youths, a man, fled from police. Williams said that during the chase, the youth “…displayed what appeared to be a gun.”

During the press conference, when the police chief uttered these words, those present – more than 100 people crowded into City Hall – began to shout. Anger rose in the crowd, shouting “No!” and some trying to calm the crowd.

Williams said the officer fired his weapon once, striking the teenager “…during a ground struggle.” The 13-year-old was taken to Wynn Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

“Officers then recovered a replica GLOCK 17 pistol with a detachable magazine, but it was ultimately determined to be an air pistol,” Williams said. “We will be releasing the names of the officers involved shortly. We ask for patience as this investigation continues.”

Cries of outrage could be heard from the crowd after it was learned that the three officers involved in the incident had been placed on leave pending the investigation. One member of the crowd said they were being given “…paid leave.”

Galime told the crowd that he wanted to be as transparent as possible and that he would ask the family and community representatives to speak with them immediately after the press conference.

Family gift

After this was translated, the 13-year-old’s mother began to scream in her native language. A community member translated and said: “…She said she doesn’t want to be in the same room as murderers.”

The mother’s wail could be heard for a moment before the entire crowd drowned out the representatives.

Galime approached the crowd, stopped in front of the mother and spoke briefly with her while the whole crowd cried out for justice.

The public press conference ended early and was moved to a private room on the upper floor of City Hall, where officials answered questions about the next step.

Prosecutor’s investigation

In shootings involving police officers, New York State Executive Law 70b provides that the Office of Special Investigations of the Attorney General of the State of New York assumes the lead criminal investigation function.

In parallel, the Utica Police Department, along with its Professional Standards Unit, is conducting an internal investigation to determine whether policies, procedures and training were followed.

In addition, UPD will work closely and openly with the City of Utica Public Safety Advisory Committee.

Over the next few days, police will be releasing several media releases and are planning to release a Critical Incident Brief, a comprehensive overview of the events.

In addition, UPD will release all body worn camera content of the officers involved.

Further questions

Following the public press conference, the Mayor, Police Chief and Press Secretary Lt. Michael Curley held a private press conference for the media.

“Our police department deals with investigations every day, and they don’t end like this,” Galime said. “They don’t end like this. This situation has developed because of events that are very specific to this situation. And that’s why we can only talk about what we can release and when it will be released… And we will not release any information that we are not absolutely sure about.”

Williams said the two juveniles were stopped as part of an ongoing investigation, but could not comment on the subject of that investigation until it was completed.

When asked about the use of deadly force, Williams stated that at the time, it would not have been possible to tell that the weapon was an air rifle until police got their hands on it.

“You don’t bring a TASR to a shooting. If you perceive deadly physical force at the time, you have to confront it,” Williams said. “This is being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office and considered in light of the landmark case Graham v. Connor.”

Social media videos

Police said they were aware of a video of the incident circulating on social media platforms.

Authorities said the incident was not described in its entirety.

The Utica Police Department is asking the public to come forward with any information that may be provided in the investigation of this incident.

Go forward

Galime said updates would be released as soon as they were available.

The time frame for such investigations can be long, Williams said, and it could likely take several months to hear the Attorney General’s conclusions.

Until then, Galime made it clear where the city stands.

“This office and our police department will operate with the utmost efficiency and transparency,” Galime said. “After the press conference concluded, I and the translator had a conversation with the mother and her friends and family. She is not only distressed, she is grieving in the manner seen below. And that is not only acceptable, it is expected.”

“What we need to do from this side is to ensure that we remain as objective as possible going forward and that every single incident that results in an investigation is handled with objectivity and the letter of the law.”

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