Protesters Demonstrate for 2nd Night After Police Shooting

Large crowds demonstrated in Brooklyn for a second straight night to protest the deadly police shooting of 16-year-old Kimani Gray over the weekend, though Tuesday's march was noticeably more peaceful and subdued.

A crowd of about 100 people, some apparently affiliated with the Occupy movement, marched 20 blocks from the scene of the shooting to the 67th Precinct station in East Flatbush.

"People gotta say, we've had enough of going to bed and waking up to another police killing," said protester Juanita Young. 

The march was large, but the police presence was heavy and there were no confrontations. It was a marked contrast to Monday's demonstration in which dozens of people threw bottles and garbage at the police station and later looted businesses, police said. About 50 people stormed a Rite Aid pharmacy after that protest, looting the store and injuring a local reverend who happened to be inside shopping at the time. 

A fruit market was also ransacked by a mob that grabbed items from shelves, stole cash from the register and damaged property.

A 19-year-old man identified as Kaven Menard of Brooklyn, allegedly seen in the surveillance video of the Rite Aid attack, was arrested in the looting incident, and police are continuing to look for others. It's not clear if Menard has an attorney.

The unrest comes after Gray was killed Saturday night when police say he pulled a .38-caliber revolver from his waistband and pointed it at officers who approached him because he was acting suspiciously.  

The officers responded by firing 11 shots, striking him several times. 

Gray's family planned to hold a vigil Wednesday at the scene of the shooting and at a nearby church. The vigil was initially slated for Tuesday but it was canceled after the previous night's chaotic protest. 

"We understand the frustration in the community, but we have a grieving mother who's lost two sons in three years, and all she wants to do is bury her son," said Gilford Monrose, a spokesman for the family. 

The circumstances of the other son's death were not immediately clear.

Meanwhile, the two NYPD officers who fatally shot the teen have been placed on administrative duty.

Police say the teen's revolver was loaded with four live rounds; it was recovered at the scene. 

A 19-year-old man who declined to give his name said he was part of the group Gray was with shortly before the shooting. He told NBC 4 New York he didn't hear the officers identify themselves as police.

"It all happened so fast. I didn't even know they were officers," he said. "I didn't hear them say a thing."

Gray had four previous arrests, including for grand larceny, authorities said.
 
The officers were listed in stable condition after treatment for trauma and tinnitus. The NYPD did not release their names.

City Councilman Jumaane Williams and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly got into a heated exchange at a council budget hearing about the shooting and its effect on the community Tuesday, with the councilman telling the commissioner that he should be in his district, "talking to people." 

"I was there last night at 1 o'clock in the morning," Kelly said.

"Yes, but you didn't walk around, I didn't ask you to because that wasn't the time to do it ... But I want to go when it is safer, when there are people we can talk to," Williams said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us