Utica teen shot by police identified, hundreds attend vigil
UTICA — The victim in the officer-involved shooting in Utica has been identified as 13-year-old Nyah Mway, of Utica, according to the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
Hundreds filled the 900 block of Shaw Street for a community vigil in honor of Mway Saturday night — nearly 24 hours after he was shot and killed by a Utica police officer. Several people spoke at the vigil, including members of the victim’s family and other prominent members of the Karen community. A memorial was set up for Mway at the scene of the shooting.
“We won’t be satisfied until the murderers are put in jail,” said Mway’s older brother, whose words were translated from the Karen native language. The brother expressed sadness at not being able to see Mway grow up.
Police said Mway and another juvenile were stopped in the 900 block of Shaw Street shortly after 10 p.m. Friday as part of a police investigation. Police said Mway fled from the officers and pulled out what appeared to be a handgun. The pursuing officers took Mway to the ground and authorities said one of the officers shot Mway in the chest with his duty weapon. Mway was taken to a local hospital and died from his injuries.
The weapon was later found to be a replica handgun and a pellet gun.
The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the shooting, as with every officer-involved shooting, as per state law. They will determine whether or not the officer was justified in the shooting.
Whatever the investigation shows, the hundreds gathered on Shaw Street Saturday night cried out for justice.
“None of it adds up,” one speaker told the crowd, demanding that the officers involved be “held accountable for their actions.”
The speaker discussed how the Mway family fled persecution in their native home of Burma, and how they hoped to find freedom and opportunity by coming to America. There is a large, close knit Karen community in Utica, with more than 7,000 residents.
“They’ve already suffered so much. When will the suffering end?” the speaker asked. “How are we supposed to trust the police?”