Police officer kills 13-year-old boy carrying airsoft gun in New York state

The Police have reported the death of a thirteen-year-old boy shot by an officer in Utica, in upstate New York, and claim that he was carrying a compressed air pistol.

The victim is Nyah Mway, of Burmese origin, shot at around 10:20 p.m. on Friday. The boy and another minor were stopped by officers when they were walking down the street, according to the police version.

A video spread on social media shows the boy running down a dark street while three police officers chased him. One of them manages to knock down the child and the others later join in while several passers-by rebuke the agents.

“Watch out, watch out. They’re recording,” one of the women shouts. “Oh my God! He just shot him!” another bystander shouts. Police said the teen was knocked down and shot “during a fight on the ground.” The boy died at Wynn Hospital in Utica from the severity of his chest wound.

On Saturday, the press conference called by the authorities to explain what happened turned into a protest against police violence, with 50 members of the deceased child’s family attending. “Our parents did not flee the war so that the police could kill their children,” read one of the signs displayed.

Utica Police Chief Mark Williams explained at a press conference that they want to be transparent and recounted how the boy pulled out an imitation Glock pistol that later turned out to be a compressed air pistol during the chase.

“There are a lot of emotions in this room, but when they ask us for transparency and yell at us it is very difficult,” Williams explained, according to the local press. The mayor of Utica, Michael Galime, was also present at the press conference and explained that it was a routine search that “led to tragedy in a matter of seconds.” He has also promised that the recording of the personal cameras that the agents were wearing will be published.

The three officers are suspended from employment, not pay, and their names will be published “soon,” said the police official, who has announced that an internal investigation is underway. The Police have also warned that the video spread on networks “does not reflect the entire incident.”