Police in New York state have shot dead a 13-year-old boy after he ran from police while holding a replica handgun, authorities said.
Officers stopped Nyah Mway and another 13-year-old on Friday night as the pair matched descriptions of suspects wanted for recent robberies in Utica, police said. As the officers questioned the boys, Nyah Mway fled on foot and a chase ensued. Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said police spotted what “appeared to be a handgun”.
One officer then wrestled the boy to the floor. “During a ground struggle”, another officer fired a single shot that hit the teenager in the chest, the police chief said. He was given first aid at the scene but later died at Wynn Hospital.
Police released several minutes of body camera footage on Saturday night, from all the officers’ cameras.
It came shortly after outraged members of the local community heckled the Utica police chief at a press conference, which was attended by the boy’s family. A candlelight vigil attended by hundreds was held for Mway on Saturday evening, local news reported.
Speaker Kay Klo, director at Midtown Utica Community Center, said Mway was “tragically murdered by police officers”. Calls for “justice” were yelled by the crowd. Utica Mayor Michael Galime called for calm, saying: “We understand the weight of this situation and want to ensure that every single piece of this is understood.
The footage appears to show the teenager pointing what police say was the replica weapon, while running away. The officers can be heard shouting “gun!” to each other. The officers believed they had seen a real handgun, police said – but it was later determined to be a replica of a Glock 17 weapon that could only fire pellets or BB.
Source: BBC
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