Teen shot to death by NYC officers

New York City Police Department said the officers were patrolling in an unmarked car in East Flatbush late on Saturday when they saw the 16-year-old Kimani Gray with five other young men.

According to police, Gray separated himself from the group when he noticed the officers and adjusted his waistband in what the police described as a suspicious manner.

The officers got out of their vehicle and approached Gray who pointed a .38-caliber revolver at them, officials said.

“After the anti-crime sergeant and police officer told the suspect to show his hands, which was heard by witnesses, Gray produced a revolver and pointed it at the officers who fired a total of 11 rounds, striking Gray several times,” Paul J. Browne, the chief spokesman for the Police Department said.

The boy was pronounced dead a short time later at Kings County Hospital Center.

Devonte Brown, Gray’s friend, told reporters that Gary “was screaming, ‘Stop! I’m not running,” while the officers opened fire on him.

Gray did not fire his handgun, which was recovered at the scene.

There have been several deadly shootings across the United States over the past few months, putting the issue of lax gun control laws back in the spotlight.

Every year, more than 30,000 people are shot and killed in the US.

The US averages 87 gun deaths each day as a function of gun violence, with an average of 183 injured, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Centers for Disease Control.

The year 2012 has been a record-setting year for gun sales in the US.

About 4.5 million firearms are sold annually in the United States at a cost of 2 to 3 billion dollars.

Over 100,000 US citizens have signed an online petition to the White House, dubbed “We the People,” asking US President Barack Obama’s administration for a renewed national debate on gun control.