Police kill teenager with ‘realistic’ air gun in New York, officials say

A police officer in upstate New York shot and killed a 13-year-old boy who was carrying a “realistic-looking” air rifle, authorities said Saturday.

Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said the shooting occurred Friday night after police officers in the city, about 380 kilometers northwest of Manhattan, stopped two teenagers shortly after 10 p.m. Police did not give a reason.

Williams said one of the teens ran and pointed a gun at officers. The police chief spoke at a news conference at Utica City Hall, where the boy’s family and other community members had gathered.

A police officer shot the boy “during a ground fight,” hitting him in the chest, Williams said.

Officers provided “immediate” first aid to the teenager and he was taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died, the police chief said.

The boy was identified in local media reports as Nyah Mway, a 13-year-old Karen refugee born in Myanmar who is in eighth grade at Donovan Middle School. Lt. Michael Curley, a police spokesman, confirmed the name on Saturday.

Utica, a city of more than 65,000 residents on the Mohawk River, is home to more than 4,200 people from Myanmar, according to The Center, a nonprofit that helps resettle the refugees.

Karen are an ethnic minority among the groups at war with the military rulers of the Southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma. The army overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests demanding a return to democratic rule.

Kathleen Davis, interim superintendent of the Utica City School District, expressed her condolences to the victim’s family in a statement posted online.

Davis expressed his “deep sadness” over the “tragic and senseless loss” and also offered his support to “our law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to ensure our streets remain safe.”

Police Chief Williams declined to provide further details about what caused the stop or what led up to the shooting, saying it will be part of the investigation. Officers at the scene recovered a replica Glock 17 Gen 5 pistol with a detachable magazine, he added.

“It is a realistic looking weapon in every way, with GLOCK markings, signatures, detachable magazine and serial numbers,” spokesman Curley said via email when asked to provide more details about the weapon. “Ultimately, however, it only fires pellets or BBs.”

Williams said the department will release a report on the killing in the coming days, as well as full-body video of the officers involved. The officer who fired the shot has not been publicly identified.

At times at City Hall on Saturday, officials’ comments were shouted down, while at other times people asked for quiet so that members of the Karen community could hear translations from an interpreter.

Mayor Michael Galime said the city would be transparent in its investigation and he and other officials would meet privately with the teen’s family and other community members.

“We’re holding this press conference so that all of you can be in this room,” he said. “We understand the magnitude of this situation and we want to make sure that every single part of it is understood. Everything will be made public and everyone in this room and the entire community will have access to all of this information.”

Williams said the attorney general’s office will lead the investigation and determine whether the shooting was justified. The office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.

The police department will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether the officers followed policies and training, Williams said. The officers will be placed on administrative leave with pay, as per protocol, he added.

Williams said the department is aware that a video of the altercation is circulating on social media, but cautioned that the video does not show the entire case.

“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased at this difficult time,” he said. “This is a tragic and traumatic incident for everyone involved.”

Marcelo writes for the Associated Press.