Late in the week Kimani Gray was shot and killed by police in East Flatbush, Mayor Bloomberg attempted to offer condolences and sympathy to Gray’s mother, attempts that were firmly denied. “We weren’t interested in the photo op,” said Kenneth J. Montgomery, one of Gray’s lawyers. “In the totem pole of important things and important emotions, that would come somewhere at the bottom.”
It’s not unusual for Bloomberg to contact the families of children killed by police, but Gray’s case is unique in that the mayor has publicly said the officers were justified in shooting him. According to the official report, Gray pointed a .38 revolver at the officers before he was killed.
Gray’s family and attorneys would rather see the mayor making more pragmatic steps. “I don’t know why he would reach out,” Montgomery said. “I’m much more interested in seeing him pushing the powers that be to get an investigation done.”
(Photo: Center for American Progress/Flickr)
