In Utica, upstate New York, a tragic incident occurred on Friday when a thirteen-year-old boy named Nyah Mway was shot and killed by an officer while in possession of a compressed air pistol. The shooting took place at around 10:20 p.m. as the boy and another minor were stopped by officers while walking down the street.
The incident escalated quickly when the boy pulled out an imitation Glock pistol during the chase, which turned out to be a compressed air pistol. The officers involved have been suspended from employment pending an internal investigation, and the mayor of Utica, Michael Galime, has promised to release the recordings from the body cameras the officers were wearing.
During a press conference called by authorities on Saturday, around 50 members of Nyah’s family attended, turning it into a protest against police violence. Utica Police Chief Mark Williams explained that the shooting was an unfortunate accident that happened within seconds of what was supposed to be a routine search.
The video circulating on social media shows Nyah running down a dark street with three police officers chasing him. One officer manages to knock him down, and he struggles with them before being shot in his chest wound. The boy later died from his injuries at Wynn Hospital in Utica.
The police have warned that the video circulating online does not depict the entire incident and are conducting a thorough investigation into what happened that night. The community is now left to grieve for Nyah Mway and demand justice for his death at the hands of law enforcement officials.