3rd Day of Protests for NYC Teen Shot by Police

For a third straight day demonstrators gathered in Brooklyn to protest the New York Police Department after the fatal police shooting of a teenager.

More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday night for 16-year-old Kimani “Kiki” Gray just blocks from where he was shot to death by police Saturday night.

But anger was palpable as a group of young people heckled police officers in helmets and later marched down a street.

The vigil’s organizers tried and failed to calm the young people, some of whom later threw bottles at police officers.

“I’m not going to tell people don’t be angry because we’re all angry,” said Franclot Graham, whose teenage son, Ramarley Graham, was shot and killed after police chased him into his Bronx home last year. A New York police officer has been charged with manslaughter in the death. “It’s OK to vent but you have to respect the family’s wishes and be peaceful,” he said.

Police said late Wednesday that 18 people were arrested and that one officer suffered a gash in the face after he was hit by an object tossed from a building.

A spokesman for Gray’s parents said they would not speak publicly as long as there was violence, which he said has “clouded their message.”

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

The latest protest came after the medical examiner’s office ruled that Gray was hit seven times, and had wounds in both the front and back of his body, including his shoulder, rib cage, forearm and legs.

The teen was with a group Saturday night, but left when he saw police in an unmarked car, police said. Authorities said he was acting suspicious and plain clothes officers approached him. According to police, Gray pointed a .38-caliber revolver at them, and they opened fire. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

A gun was recovered at the scene.

Gray was black. The officers involved in the shooting were black and Hispanic. They have been placed on administrative duty.