By Jess Wisloski, DNAinfo Weekend Editor
EAST FLATBUSH — Police shot and killed a 16-year-old boy late Saturday night after he pointed a gun at cops who had approached him as he was breaking away from a group of his friends, authorities said.
The teenager, Kimani Gray, 16, of Crown Heights, was spotted by anti-crime patrol officers working in an unmarked car as he stood with a group of friends outside an East 52nd Street building near Snyder Avenue, police said.
When the officers were noticed by the group of young men, they saw Kimani fidget with his waistband and then break away from the group and act suspiciously, police said.
Two officers exited their vehicle and attempted to speak with the young man around 11:25 p.m., according to police, when Kimani allegedly turned on them and pointed a .38 caliber pistol at the cops.
Police said both officers fired at the suspect, hitting Kimani in several places on his torso and legs, cops said. The boy was rushed to Kings County Hospital but declared dead on arrival, police said. Both officers were treated at Methodist Hospital and treated for trauma and tinnitus.
Kimani's uncle, Cecil Nunes, 65, said the boy and his mother, Carol, an out-of-work chef, had lived with him in Crown Heights for a year until a week ago, when the two moved back to the neighborhood Kimani was raised in, East Flatbush.
"I don't what he was up to last night. I don't know what happened," said Nunes, his voice trembling. "He was respectful, but a typical teenager. I have to ask myself why this happened. Why, why, why," he said.
The boy's mother had to be hospitalized after she learned of her son's death, said Nunes, and she had just been released Sunday morning.
Police said an investigation was ongoing.
Sources said Kimani had had a criminal record, including charges for breaking into a car, possession of stolen property, grand larceny and rioting.
The shooting was the second police-involved shooting of the day, following a confrontation between police and a driver at 1:15 p.m. in Staten Island, cops said.
A Rohm Industry .38 caliber revolver was recovered from a 16-year-old who police shot down when he pointed it at officers on March 9, 2013, police said.
Two gang squad detectives and a police officer attempted to stop a white 2012 Toyota Camry on Manor Road, after receiving a tip that the driver had a gun, police said.
Two plainclothes officers approached the car but the driver tried to flee in the car, pinning one detective against another vehicle with the car, police said, before appearing to reach for a weapon. That's when an officer shot him, police said.
The officers and suspect were transported to area hospitals, and all were in stable condition. Police recovered a .44 caliber revolver at the scene and later arrested Clinton James, 33, of Staten Island, for assaulting a police officer, criminal possession and use of a firearm, and reckless endangerment, among other charges.
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