Syracuse, N.Y. — The viral video of Syracuse police officers stopping an 8-year-old boy after he was accused of stealing a bag of chips was difficult to watch, Gov. Kathy Hochul said today.
“As a mother, that was a heart-wrenching video to witness,” she said during a press conference at the CNY Biotech Accelerator in Syracuse. “Many of us are parents and you can’t help but imagine the fear in that child as he had to endure that experience.”
Hochul said she spoke about the video with Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and told him it was important to build back trust between police and Black and brown communities.
She also said government must ensure encounters between children and police are handled differently.
“I know we can do better,” Hochul said. “We will do better.”
Hochul was in Syracuse today to deliver a Covid-19 briefing. She talked about the video to open her remarks.
The video, recorded Sunday, shows a Syracuse officer holding the boy from behind and walking him to a marked police vehicle. The boy can be seen and heard sobbing throughout the clip, which has been viewed millions of times on social media.
Many viewers criticized officers for their handling of the situation on Twitter and Facebook. Walsh said in a statement he was concerned.
The incident is under review.
Officers eventually took the boy back to his family and no charges were filed.
The child’s father, Anthony Weah, saw the video after officers brought the boy home and took issue with how police treated his son. He said in an interview with syracuse.com he wants to file a complaint.
“Why would the police treat that child like that?” Weah asked. “Over a $3 bag of chips.”
Also today, Hochul spoke about the shooting last week in Armory Square that left Akok Lual, 24, dead.
Also injured were Garang Amyek, 25; Acuil Ater, 24; Shyquan Derby, 24; and Lual Lual, 21. Brandon Rolfe, 23, of Seymour Street in Syracuse, faces murder and attempted murder charges in the case. He turned himself in Tuesday.
The increase in gun violence is a national issue, but that’s not an excuse, Hochul said today.
“It’s hard and, you know, we can’t turn our eyes away from this” she said. “We have to confront it head on.”
Even before last week’s shooting, the state had been planning a gun violence roundtable in Syracuse. State leaders will be in the city Thursday to meet with local officials for a discussion on causes and prevention.
The state has been holding the roundtables throughout the state in recent months.
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