Authorities say teen armed with replica gun fatally shot by police

Police Friday night fatally shot a 13-year-old boy after a chase in a residential neighborhood in the upstate New York city of Utica after the teen displayed what appeared to be a handgun, authorities said . Police later determined the teen was carrying a replica handgun.

Utica police in a statement said officers stopped two teenagers at around 10 p.m. local time Friday as part of a "police investigation." While the authorities were questioning the teens, one of them fled on foot, police said.

As the victim ran, police spotted what "appeared to be a handgun," Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said in Saturday morning news conference, during which he was interrupted by outraged community members. One of the officers fired his gun and hit the teen, described as an Asian male.

"A Utica police officer ultimately discharged his firearm once, striking the male, during a ground struggle," Williams said.

He was given immediate first aid by officers on scene and was brought to Wynn Hospital, where he died from his wounds, Williams said.

Officers said they recovered a pellet gun resembling a Glock 17 handgun with a detachable magazine following the shooting.

"This replica handgun was ultimately found to be a pellet gun," Williams said.

Utica police later identified the deceased 13-year-old as Nyah Mway. The name of the officer who shot him has not been released. An interpreter was at the news conference to provide translation for the victim's family and their community who were in attendance, so they could better understand the information provided.

At one point during the news conference, Utica Mayor Michael Galime took the microphone, calling for calm.

"We understand the weight of this situation and want to ensure that every single piece of this is understood," Galime said.

The ethnicity of the victim's family wasn't identified, but Utica has resettled large numbers of refugees in recent years.  According to the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, one of the largest numbers of Asian refugees Utica has resettled are from Burma, including from the Karen ethnic group as well as other groups. Other Asian refugees include Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodians along with Bosnians, Dominicans and more, the center said. Just over 19% of the once rapidly declining industrial city is now foreign-born, the center said.

"This tragedy reminds us of the tremendous challenges our community faces, particularly our partners in law enforcement, who tirelessly strive to ensure our streets remain safe,"  Utica City School District interim superintendent Dr. Kathleen Davis said in a statement Saturday.

Cell phone video of the incident captured by a neighbor has been obtained by CBS News. Regarding the video, police said, "We are aware of a video of the incident circulating on social media platforms, which does not portray the incident in its entirety."

The New York attorney general's office announced Saturday night that it has opened an investigation into the shooting.

Utica police said it is conducting its own investigation, and will release items related to it over the next several days, including a critical incident brief and the full bodycam footage. The chief said during the news conference the police officers involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave.

Utica, a city of about 65,000 , is located approximately an hour's drive from Syracuse.