New York boy, 13, 'who never got in trouble' shot dead by police after brandishing fake gun

A teenage boy has been shot dead by police after allegedly pointing what turned out to be a BB gun at them during a foot chase . Nyah Mway, aged 13, was tackled to the ground by cops in Utica, New York on Friday night.

Nyah and another 13-year-old boy were stopped because they fit descriptions of suspects in an armed robbery that happened on Thursday in the same area, and because one teen was jaywalking, according to police .

Body camera footage released by police shows an officer telling the pair he needs to pat them down for any weapons. Nyah then runs away, turns and appears to point a black item at them.

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The officers believed it was a handgun but it was later revealed to be a BB or pellet gun that looked very like a Glock 17 Gen 5 handgun with a detachable magazine.

Officer Bryce Patterson caught up with Nyah, tackled and punched him, and as the two fought on the ground, Officer Patrick Husnay opened fire, body camera video showed. A single shot hit the youth in the chest.

Nyah had just graduated from 8th grade two days prior and was excited to start high school this fall, Thoung Oo, Nyah's sister, wrote on GoFundMe . She went on: "Because of this tragedy , I will never get to see him grow up.

"Nyah leaves behind our mother, father, and three siblings. 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.

"My brother was an outgoing kid who loved to be outside biking and playing with his friends and family... My brother was returning home from an 8th grade graduation BBQ. He has never gotten in trouble with law enforcement."

The state attorney general and the Utica Police Department are investigating the shooting. The police department's own probe will explore whether officers followed policies and training.

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Williams called the shooting "a tragic and traumatic incident for all involved, and his department said it released information and the body camera video in keeping with "our commitment to transparency."

He added: "Though it is certainly understood that this will not answer all of the questions that the public may have about this investigation, as we have stated, there are two ongoing parallel investigations .

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"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 ."

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