UTICA, NY – On a balmy afternoon in mid-July, hundreds gathered on the lawn of 220 Memorial Parkway here in Utica in a poignant display of unity and grief. The crowd included members of the Karen community, a minority ethnic group originally from Myanmar.
The gathering came two weeks after the fatal police shooting of Nyah Mway, a 13-year-old Karen refugee killed by law enforcement on the night of June 28, 2024.
“We miss him so much. It’s so sad. He shouldn’t have died,” lamented a young Karen resident who was at the gathering. Like others, he wore a white tee-shirt with a smiling Mway printed on the front and the words, “WE ARE THE FUTURE” on the back.
Mway had just completed eighth grade and, according to relatives, was looking forward to starting high school with his cousins and siblings.
“He was so happy to be moving on to high school,” said Mway’s aunt. “They were all excited for the future.”
The shooting occurred as Mway was returning home from a barbecue with a friend. When questioned by police along the 900 block of Shaw Street, he ran, prompting a chase by three officers. Two officers tackled Mway to the ground, while a third officer fired a single shot, killing him.
Utica Police identified the officers involved as Patrick Husnay, a six-year veteran of the Utica Police Department; Bryce Patterson, a four-year veteran; and Andrew Citriniti, who has been on the force for two-and-a-half years. It was Husnay who allegedly fired the fatal shot.
A bystander’s video captured part of the altercation, showing an officer punching Mway as two others arrived. The footage has sparked outrage and calls for accountability, with many questioning the use of lethal force against a young teenager.
Mway and his family immigrated to Utica from Myanmar nine years earlier, seeking refuge from the decades-old conflict in their homeland, where fighting between rebel and military junta forces has again intensified.
There are some 8,000 Karen living in Utica. Residents here say Mway was a beloved member of the community, known for his kindness and infectious smile.
“I know Nyah. He was a polite and calm child,” says Pyin Nyein Da, a Burmese Buddhist monk at the Thit Sar War Di Buddhist monastery in Utica.
Organizers put together several events across California in solidarity with Utica’s Karen community, including a June 12 prayer service at the Burma Buddhist Monastery in Los Angeles, led by the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, and a candlelight vigil at Colina del Sol Park in San Diego.
On July 21, the Myanmar Gazette hosted an in-person conference looking at law enforcement in the Burmese community.
“Nyah Mway’s life mattered,” said a local Utica activist. “We will not rest until those responsible are held accountable.”
‘We have many questions’
The Utica Police Department has released bodycam footage of the June 28th incident which it claims shows Mway pulling out a “replica Glock 17 Gen 5 handgun” and pointing it at an officer while fleeing arrest.
In a June 29th statement, the Utica Police Department also cited Mway’s alleged violation of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law 1156a (jaywalking) and his suspected involvement in a recent robbery as justification for pursuing him. These claims have not been independently verified.
“I saw he had a gun, so I took him down to the ground,” said Officer Bryce Patterson. “We were wrestling and ultimately the gun came out right next to him. Then Husnay got one round.”
But in the video, Mway is seen running from police and being tackled, while the moment he allegedly points a gun is obscured. The video cuts away, replaced by a still image with a red circle highlighting the purported weapon.
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and the officers involved have been placed on leave.
“We have many questions,” Daniel Cribb, a community leader and former director of the Refugee Settlement Program in Utica said. “Was the bodycam footage edited or manipulated? How reliable is it that it’s complete?”
He adds, “If you look at the video taken by the bystander, there was no exchange of fire,” noting that the officers can later be seen asking why Husnay fired.
The Utica Karen Community has also expressed skepticism about the police narrative, demanding transparency and a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mway’s death, calls echoed by other community activists.
‘Trying to get to safety’
“He was unnecessarily stopped on the way home, just hanging out with his friend,” said Senya Bekui with the non-profit Citizen Action of New York. “It’s absurd… you see them chasing him, punching his face, then immediately they shoot him without even a second’s hesitation.”
Bekui was among those calling for changes to policing in Utica.
“Twenty five percent of this city is refugees,” he said. “But what I’ve seen from the experiences of those in this city is that the community here is actually ignored. They are pushed to the side. Their needs are not listened to.”
Bekui also drew parallels to the Black community’s relationship with law enforcement, noting how many Karen parents warn their kids to run when they see police, given the violence Karen have suffered from law enforcement in their home country.
“Running away should not have to be a death sentence,” Bekui asserts. “He was three streets away from his home, trying to get to safety.”
Mway’s family including his parents and two brothers, emigrated from the Thai-Myanmar border to Utica nine years ago, seeking a better life for their family. Mway was born in Umpium Camp in Thailand.
“I can’t sleep at night. I can’t eat anything,” said Ka Lee Wan, Mway’s father. “People talk to me. I can hear what they’re saying, but I don’t know what they’re saying anymore.”
Mway’s mother is equally devastated. “It would be less painful for me if he died of a common illness,” said Chee War, speaking in Karen. “There is nothing worse than this hurt feeling for the loss of my son. There is no way to explain his death.”
Mway’s parents said their son had dreams of graduating high school and attending university. “He wanted to be an educated person,” said Chee War. “Every time he left for school, Nyah always said ‘I love you, mom’ to me.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up by the family to cover funeral and legal expenses.
This story was originally published in Burmese by the Myanmar Gazette. It has been edited here for length.
