UTICA, N.Y. -- The City of Utica has postponed its fireworks display for Independence Day following the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Nyah Mway.
On Monday afternoon, Vincent Scalise, the executive director of the Utica Center for Development that helped to organize the event, announced the annual fireworks display along with the Party in the Park event have been pushed to a later date "in consideration of recent events."
Scalise said the decision was made out of respect to the "time of mourning" in the City, not because of any security threats surrounding the celebration.
The Fourth of July parade will go on as scheduled Thursday at 10 a.m.
The City of Utica has postponed its fireworks display for Independence Day following the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Nyah Mway.
As for when the events will be moved to, Scalise said there is not a "specific date hammered down yet," but he said he is hoping to have that information by the middle of next week, after the funeral.
The events were not postponed due to a request from the Mway family, but an internal decision by the organizers.
For his part, Mayor Mike Galime also explained the decision.
"We wanted to preserve the symbolic nature of the Independence Day parade and what it represents, while also taking into account recent events," Galime said. "To do this, we felt it was appropriate to postpone the Party in the Park, which ends with its annual fireworks display."
Community responds to the news of fireworks planned for Thursday being moved.
This story will be updated when more details are available.
