A 13-year-old boy, Nyah Mway, who was shot and killed by police in upstate New York after pointing a BB gun at officers, was laid to rest on Saturday in Utica. The funeral saw a large turnout, with hundreds of mourners filling the funeral home and spilling out onto the sidewalk to pay their respects. Videos from the event were shared on social media, showing a somber ceremony at a local cemetery.
Members of the city’s Karen ethnic minority community, some dressed in traditional clothing, placed flowers and wreaths as Buddhist monks led prayers during the burial of Mway in his white coffin. Following the service, mourners announced plans for a peaceful march in the city the following Saturday to demand justice for the teen.
Mway, a refugee from Myanmar and a Karen ethnic minority member, was fatally shot on June 28 after fleeing from officers who had stopped him on the street in Utica. Police released body camera footage showing officers shouting “gun!” before tackling Mway to the ground and firing shots as they struggled. The teenager was shot in the chest and later died in the hospital. A pellet gun resembling a Glock 17 was recovered at the scene.
The boy’s family and the local Karen community have called for accountability from the police, noting that Mway was already subdued and on the ground when he was shot. The state attorney general’s office is conducting an investigation, and the involved police officers have been placed on leave in accordance with protocol.
