KIMANI’S MOTHER SPEAKS

Carol Gray holds picture of son Kimani (credit: Al Jones/1010 WINS)
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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The mother of a Brooklyn teen who was shot and killed by police spoke out Thursday after dozens of people protesting the boy’s death were arrested overnight in a clash with police.

Speaking from the office of City Councilman Charles Barron, Carol Gray, the mother of 16-year-old Kimani Gray, said her son was slaughtered and she wants to know why.

Gray told reporters her son was killed in front of his best friend’s house after a birthday party. She also said she does not condone violence and only wants justice for her son.

Officers in riot gear arrested 46 people during a candlelight vigil Wednesday night, the third straight day of protests against Gray’s death. Most were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, police said.

Two officers were also injured. One was treated for a gash in his face after police said a brick was thrown at him.

Wednesday’s protest came after autopsy results showed Gray was shot seven times in his shoulders, arms and legs with wounds to the front and back of his body.

He was shot by two plainclothes cops Saturday night after police said he pulled a .38 caliber gun on the officers.

Police arrest a man during a vigil for Kimani Grey which turned raucous on March 13, 2013. (credit: CBS 2)
Police said the officers from the Brooklyn South Anti-Crime Patrol were walking East Flatbush when they came upon a group of young men standing in front of a home on East 52nd Street.

When the officers approached and started to talk to the group, Gray began acting suspiciously and ran from the officers, police said.

Police said at one point, Gray grabbed for something in his waistband. Gray then pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officers, according to police.

When the plainclothes officers saw the gun, they both fired. Gray was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital a short time later, police said.

A gun was recovered at the scene, but Gray’s family maintains the teen wasn’t armed.

“After he got the first shot on the ground, he was like please don’t kill me, don’t let me die and then I heard the police went over and started shooting,” said Gray’s cousin, who did not give his name.

Police arrest a man during a vigil for Kimani Grey which turned raucous on March 13, 2013. (credit: CBS 2)
People in the community have said Gray’s death highlights a larger problem of police brutality.

“The cops need to respect the people and the neighborhood and maybe the people wouldn’t be so angry,” said Flatbush resident Aaron Viera. “The community is angry and the community is voicing their opinion right now and the cops need to understand they just can’t react any way they want to with a gun.”

On Thursday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it’s sad for the family and that he understands the anger in the East Flatbush community, but said he won’t tolerate violent outbreaks in the community, 1010 WINS’ Stan Brooks reported.

“You can rest assured we will take adequate precautions to protect the public and I am not at liberty to discuss what those will be — they’ll be different every day,” Bloomberg said. “Some you’ll see, some you won’t. That’s what we do all the time. We have the best trained police department in the country.”

Bloomberg said he has not gone to the shooting scene because he does not want to inflame the situation, Brooks reported. The mayor also said he believes it is too soon to visit the teen’s family.

Bloomberg said he promises a thorough investigation, and that all indications are that Kimani “Kiki” Gray had a gun.

A weapon recovered after the shooting was originally purchased in Florida, Bloomberg added.

Carol Gray said she doesn’t believe her son pointed a gun at police. She sobbed as she discussed choosing the color of her son’s casket.

On Monday, a mob broke away from a candlelight vigil and stormed a produce stand, trashing registers and throwing bottles at the cashier, police said.

They then ransacked a Rite Aid and attacked a customer, police said.

Gray’s parents have condemned the recent protests, saying the violence “clouded their message,” a family spokesman said.

“It’s a tough time for the community,” said the spokesman, Rev. Gilford Monrose. “But the family and myself do not condone the violence.”