Nyah Mway was tragically shot on Friday, June 28, in Utica, New York, while allegedly wielding a replica handgun.
A 13-year-old boy was shot and killed by police in Utica. Officer Patrick Husnay shot Nyah Mway after the teen allegedly pulled out what appeared to be a handgun during an attempted frisking, according to a news release from the Utica Police Department.
Around 10 p.m., Husnay and two other Utica police officers, Bryce Patterson and Andrew Citriniti, were patrolling a part of the city where recent robberies had occurred.
Based on the characteristics of suspects in a June 27 robbery, the officers approached Mway and another juvenile, also 13, who “were in the immediate vicinity of the previous robbery at nearly the same time of day,” the release said.
The officers attempted to conduct a citizen stop of the two teens. But, while attempting to frisk Mway, the teen fled and pulled out “what appeared to be a handgun,” according to initial information provided by police.
Mway allegedly pulled the item, which was later identified as a “a replica GLOCK pellet gun,” in front of his body and pointed it “directly” at the officers, police said.
Seeing the item, Officer Husnay fired his weapon at Mway, hitting him. Mway was taken to a local hospital but died from his injuries.
The Utica Police Department released photos of the pellet gun and bodycam footage of the incident.
In a statement, the department conveyed condolences to both the officers involved and Mway’s family.
There are two ongoing investigations into the shooting by the NYS Attorney General’s Office and an internal investigation by the Utica Police Department’s Professional Standards unit. The three officers involved are on paid administrative leave during the investigations.
The department emphasized transparency, saying, “It is within the purview of the NYS Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations to determine whether the shooting violated any state laws. However, we felt it prudent to share all available evidence publicly.”
“It is our sincerest desire that at the conclusion of these investigations an impartial, fair, and thorough investigation will have been completed, giving answers to any remaining lingering questions,” the release added.
A vigil was held for Mway in Utica on Saturday, June 29, with hundreds of people, including family members, attending.
A GoFundMe page was created by Mway’s sister, Thoung Oo, to raise funds for his funeral, legal expenses to seek justice, and family expenses, including counseling. Oo mentioned that Mway “was returning home from an 8th grade graduation barbecue” at the time of the incident.
“He has never been in trouble with law enforcement before, he was a good kid,” Oo wrote. “The UPD video cam, the witness testimonies, and the stories they told my family don’t add up, especially when they told my parents (who don’t speak English at all) there was a shootout. We need answers.”
Oo also highlighted how Mway had just graduated from 8th grade and was looking forward to starting high school in the fall. “Because of this tragedy, I will never get to see him grow up,” she said.
She further explained that their family, including Mway’s mother, father, and three siblings, moved to the United States from Myanmar when Mway was a small child. “Our family moved to America nine years ago as refugees from Myanmar to find a better life safe from law enforcement killings and ethnic cleansing,” she wrote.
“My brother was an outgoing kid who loved to be outside biking and playing with his friends and family,” she continued, adding, “Our parents and grandparents did not flee war & corrupt military to be persecuted by American police.”
