NY cop cleared of criminality in shooting death of 13-year-old armed with pellet gun, AG rules

The police officer who shot and killed a 13-year-old in upstate New York during a robbery investigation last summer has been cleared by state investigators of criminal wrongdoing.New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office released an investigative report Wednesday concluding that Utica Police Officer Patrick Husnay should not be charged with a crime for killing teen Nyah Mway on June 28, 2024.Mway and another unidentified teen were stopped by three police officers in Utica, NY, as the pair fit the description of two people wanted in an armed robbery in the area the night before, the report stated. Bodycam footage of the incident shows the 13-year-old running away from the officers — setting off a chase that would ultimately end in his death.As he was fleeing, Mway pointed what appeared to be a black handgun — but was really a pellet gun — at the pursuing Utica Police Officer Bryce Patterson.The officer said he could see the black barrel of the object pointing at his chest and believed that he was going to be shot and killed, the report stated.While at a full sprint, Patterson tackled Mway to the ground and struggled for the weapon, at which time officers Husnay and Andrew Citriniti caught up to the ongoing fight for what they believed was a handgun, the report stated.Officer Husney then leaned over and fired a single shot into the chest of Mway at close range, according to the report and bodycam footage.The young teen was taken to Wynn Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.The attorney general also released a recording of a bystander’s TikTok of the chase and shooting as part of the report, which shows the dramatic moment Mway is tackled and shot by the UPD officers.Additionally, James shared information on two armed robberies that the officers were investigating — in which victims said two Asian teenagers robbed them at gunpoint.Video from a June 12, 2024 robbery shows two apparent males in hoodies and face masks approach an unsuspecting ...