13-Year-Old Boy With Pellet Gun Killed by Police, Bodycam Shows

A 13-year-old boy in Utica, NY, was fatally shot by police on Friday night after brandishing what appeared to be a handgun but later turned out to be a pellet gun designed to resemble a Glock. 

The Details: The boy, identified as Nyah Mway, was shot in the chest and given immediate first aid before being taken to Wynn Hospital, where he died. Body camera footage from the incident shows the officers screaming "gun," chasing the boy, and a chaotic scene of struggle on the ground before an officer discharged his weapon. The officers were placed on administrative leave with pay.

For Context: The Utica Police Department reportedly moved faster than usual in response, reporting the shooting on Saturday and releasing body camera footage Saturday night. The Utica Police Department and the New York Attorney General’s Office are conducting separate investigations into the shooting.

How The Media Covered It: Some right-rated sources led their coverage with still images from the bodycam footage showing Mway flashing the pellet gun at police. Left-rated sources typically didn't; some led with photos of the vigil for Mway. Some headlines focused on meetings with the local Karen community, referring to members of Myanmar’s Karen ethnic minority, to which Mway belonged. Some coverage of the body cam footage was somewhat sensational, including language like “frantic chase.” This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.