NEW YORK (news agencies) — Police in upstate New York tackled and then shot a 13-year-old boy to death after he pointed what turned out to be a BB gun at officers during a foot chase.
Utica officials released body camera footage of Friday night’s shooting on Saturday and held a contentious public meeting attended by the teen’s family and other members of their local refugee community.
The state attorney general’s office is investigating and the police officers involved have been placed on leave, as is protocol during such shootings.
Here’s what you need to know.
The shooting happened at around 10 p.m. on a residential street in Utica, an old industrial city about 240 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan that sits along the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains.
According to police, three officers on patrol stopped to question two youths. One of the teens, Nyah Mway, then fled on foot and pointed what police say appeared to be a handgun in the direction of the officers. After tackling the teen to the ground, one of the officers fired a single shot into his chest. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Mway, whose family name is Nyah, was a Karen refugee born in Myanmar. He had just graduated from middle school and was set to start high school in the fall.
