This kid pointed a loaded firearm at police officers. 11 shots were fired by a total of four officers. They didn't fire eleven each and they don't say "okay, you're turn" after each one fires. They each likely fired 2-3 shots each. Maybe they hit him in the chest and it spun him around, I have no idea how this works. The fact remains the kid had a gun and he pointed it at officers. And to the stupid moron earlier who sarcastically commented about how being in the park after dark is such a serious offense, that wasn't the issue. The victim's two friends received SUMMONSES for being in the park. This kid ran because he had a firearm and was scared to receive the mandatory 3+ years for a loaded weapon so he ran. It is sad that it had to come to this but better him then the police.

This makes me feel sick, The police are shocking at times, They need to sort out there act.

Here comes another lawsuit. Does anyone ever think about the cops and their well being in these situations? These guys have families too and if someone is pointing a gun at them then they have every right to shoot that person until they know he or she is done with. This stuff never happens to people who actually stop and communicate with the police when they are told to do so. Maybe he didn't stop because HE HAD AN ILLEGAL 9MM PISTOL ON HIM!

It really hard to know who good or bad, it shows how dangerous our world today. We don't know what exactly a the whole story is.

1. It's AMAZING HOW MANY OF YOU just blindly trust the media and the govt. (You mean you ALL trust the same source that told you Bernie Kerik was a hero and super-honest? Or do you trust the sources that told you Iraq had WMDs?

2. Perhaps none of you know the NYPD have gotten caught LYING to you on tens of thousands of occasions. (Hey, how about the cyclist they arrested last year in Times Square who was slammed by a fine cop protecting the citizenry? OOPS: a tourist's video ENDED ALL DEBATE that the NYPD = a criminal organization that is brutal, criminal, dishonest, and super-corrupt. Turned out the cops lied about EVERYTHING. The goomba cop slammed the cyclist solely b/c the cop was a psychopath! And his partners helped him cover it up!)

But they know most of you have no memory and no brains.

PERHAPS THIS KID was a total scumbag and the story is true, but knowing the NYPD, and knowing the media, it's far more likely the story is NOT accurate.

THIS is why you keep getting bad politicians in every single election: YOU DON'T EVER USE YOUR HEADS.

its amazing how you blindly trust the family members of this fine upstanding citizen.

its amazing how every news article includes the family saying "he was such a good kid, he would never do this." such a good kid? he pled guilty to robbery and did 18 months in jail.

until concrete evidence comes out to prove to the contrary, ill believe the cops. cops dont pray on innocent civilians, whether you want to believe it or not they protect them. this guys past criminal record proves he does, and there's no doubt in my mind that had these cops not encountered this kid, there would have been yet another dead young black male in far rockaway and it wouldnt have been at the hands of police, it would have been at the hands of this "good kid"

Totally agree. absolute waste of ammo....

I've shot handguns, rifles, and shotguns multiple times--all legally. It is NOT easy to hit a target, especially one in motion. I have no interest in the opinions of anyone who wants to say what cops should have done, until they've fired weapons themselves.

thank you... someone who finally has a rational post.

combine this with the fact that the nypd modifies all cops guns so the trigger pull is 12 pounds, which makes a gun even harder to shoot accurately. but why let simple facts like this stand in your way of another chance to scream out police brutality.

"if you see a cop, say thank you. you really have no idea what they do, and the lengths they go to, to keep YOU safe."

Ableight all this conversation, in any country where it ok for civilians or your bog standard policeman to own a gun there are two things certain: lots of people are going to die and millions more will waste their time argueing the ins and outs of who was right and who was wrong. Maybe time for some new amendments eh?

and one quick hypothetical situation for all you people who seem to know the best way for the police to do things. (and in no way am i implying this is what happened in this situation)

the cops see a person with a gun, attempt to stop him, and the person takes off running. while the suspect is running away from the cops he points his gun backward at the police and fires at them. the police respond by firing back and strike the man 3 times in the center of the back. is that excessive force for shooting a man in the back?

i'm a big fan of the picture at the top of the page that was supplied by the family and that appeared in most of the papers. it gets looked over by many people not in the know. whats with the rosary beads? was this kid religious? rhetorical question folks. rosary beads often take the place of gang members wearing colored clothing to identify the gang they belong to. first they switched to color coded beaded necklaces, but the cops caught on to that too, so now they wear color coded rosary beads so they can say, "im not in a gang, im just religious." thats usually accompanied by the bottle of holy water in the pocket, which in reality is a bottle of pcp for them to dip their cigarettes in.

also lets not forget the gang sign he's "throwin up" in the picture.

looks like a good boy to me. how dare the police rid society of this fine upstanding citizen, who btw did 18 months for robbery (the fact that it was only 18 months is a strong indicator that he plead guilty to the charge)

I am interested to know the history of black people in the rockaways. Are they new immigrants or from the south of the U.S?

"Leaner Cannon, the mother of Michel, said her son's friend only carried the gun for self-defense."

That's not what the linked article says. She's quoted there as saying that if he had a gun, it must have been for his own protection. Your wording implies that he was known to carry a gun, which isn't at all implied in her real statement.

Also, according to the article her name is Arleaner, not Leaner.

ouch that hurts...

geocoins

Stop with the movies and TV. People don't spurt blood and drop when they get shot. There is often now way to tell if they were even hit. Reality, try it. I'm sure an internet search could find some handgun shooting videos.

PS: NYC Firemen put way to much water on fires to put them out, they use more gallons than needed and often get water on people and houses that have nothing to do with the fire. Why don't they just walk in, find the source and dump a bucket on it? (same thinking as many posters)

Make that no.

I wouldn't ever defend a teenager with gun but why the smug Sharpton comments. You witty internet spectators really believe black people or every other non-Caucasian race don't need leaders to speak up when bullshit happens. "You people" will never understand racism although you think you know everything. It's awful that this misguided sucker put the lives of others and himself in danger. Act like a life was lost.

Al Sharpton is a charlatan, not a leader. The sooner you realize this, the better off you will be (and I mean YOU, not "you people", as many intelligent black people already see through his little charade).

the most entertaining part of gothamist is the comments section.