If you haven't heard of Kimani Gray by now, then it's safe to say you don't live anywhere near New York City currently. Gray was a 16 year old shot down by two police officers in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, and his death has sparked both controversy and riots in the community.
It all started when the two officers approached a group of boys last Saturday, prompting Gray to remove himself from the group. As the officers approached him they contend that Gray adjusted his waistband, and upon coming closer, that he had pulled out a revolver and aimed it at them. The officers then opened fire on the boy. He sustained four gun shots to his front and three to his back, and died shortly after.
The surrounding community has become inflamed with protest and violence, with at least 46 people being arrested during the third night of angry protests on Wednesday. Many in the community are calling for justice and an independent investigation into the shooting, and cases are currently being made both for and against the officers in question.
According to the NYPD, Kimani Gray was a hardened criminal with a track record that includes serious offenses such as grand larceny, grand theft auto, and inciting a riot. They say he was a member of the famous street gang called the Bloods. Officers contend that they recovered his loaded .38 caliber revolver at the scene. The shooting doesn't appear to be racially motivated due to both police officers being minorities, and one of them self-identified as black.
Those who knew Gray, however, paint a much different picture. His mother, who had lost her eldest son to a car accident two years ago, says that Gray was a normal teenager with a curfew he usually made, and that he was shot down in front of a friend's Sweet 16 party. She continues:
"Why was Kimani been murdered, and slaughtered? Why was Kimani begging for his life? Why was Kimani saying [those things] if he had a weapon? ... He's my angel, and my baby, and he was slaughtered, and I want to know why. After the first shot, why the second bullet, why the third bullet?"
Tishana King, a medical records clerk at Kings County Hospital, has a clear view of the incident from her third story apartment, and her story differs quite a bit from the line being told by the NYPD.
"Kimani started backing up. The cop took out his gun and started firing at Kimani. His (Gray's) hands were down. I couldn't believe he let off (fired) his gun. There was no reason. No false move," recalls King.
Mayor Bloomberg has called for a full investigation into the incident, but has also condemned the riots that have taken place since Saturday. So far several places of business have been overran by mobs, with money stolen and many goods destroyed in the process. Several people who have tried to defend against the mobs have sustained serious injuries. Further still, a local Bloods offshoot, the Outlaws, have ordered a hit on any police officer in retaliation for the shooting. Needless to say, no one feels safe in Brooklyn today.
