Dozens of people marched in front of a Brooklyn police station Monday night to protest the deadly police shooting of a 16-year-old boy over the weekend, throwing bottles and rocks at the building in a gathering that later escalated to looting businesses, police said.
Police estimated about 70 people marched to the 67th Precinct station in East Flatbush, where they threw garbage and empty bottles at the windows before the crowd was brought under control. No officers were injured and there was no damage to the building.
They were protesting in the name of Kimani Gray, who was killed Saturday night after police say he pulled a .38-caliber revolver from his waistband and pointed it at officers who approached him because he was acting suspiciously, police said.
The officers responded by firing 11 shots, striking him several times.
City Councilman Jumaane Williams and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly got into a heated exchage at a council budget hearing 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.
Protesters on Monday marched from Snyder Avenue and ended up at Church and East 57th Street, where they continued to demonstrate.
"Some angry kids were protesting the death of a friend," said witness Martin Williams. "They were marching through the street, yelling and protesting."
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About 50 people stormed a Rite Aid pharmacy after the protest, looting the store and injuring a local reverend who happened to be inside shopping at the time. The 51-year-old reverend was assaulted and his iPhone was stolen, officials said. He was treated at Kings County Hospital for a laceration to his head.
Police are reviewing surveillance video from the store in an effort to identify the looters as well as the people who assaulted the reverend. So far, a 19-year-old man seen in the video has been arrested, police said.
A fruit market was also ransacked by a mob that grabbed items from shelves, stole cash from the register and damaged property.
"They were throwing garbage in the street... pelting the city buses, pulling down the fruit stand," said witness Winston James.
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.
