Bronx teen dies after falling off roof while running from cops for smoking marijuana

theGrio REPORT - Saturday, a 17-year-old boy died from injuries sustained after falling six stories from a New York City building rooftop.

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Saturday, a 17-year-old boy died from injuries sustained after falling six stories from a New York City building rooftop.

Last Thursday, four officers were reportedly flagged down at the beginning of their shift by a neighbor complaining that a group of teenagers were smoking weed on the grounds. Hakeem Kuta was smoking marijuana with five or six others in the lobby of a Bronx apartment building, when the group spotted the officers approaching.

The young men fled and separated into different groups. Some were able to run up to the rooftop on one side of the complex and jump onto the roof of an adjacent building to get away. Unfortunately, Kuta— who only moved to the US a few years ago from Ghana — and his 14-year-old friend found themselves on the north side of the building’s rooftop, where they encountered a 10-foot wall, the police report explains.

Still fearing an arrest, Kuta climbed over a barrier at the edge of the roof and slipped, despite the officers telling him to “relax”. His 14-year-old friend attempted to grab him but was unable to hold on. While Kuta fell from the roof ledge, an officer was able to grab his companion and pull him up as he started to slip, authorities said.

Police found Kuta in an alleyway and cradled his head and performed chest compressions until paramedics arrived. He had no arrest record and ultimately died Saturday after being in critical condition for nearly two days.

Eugene O’Donnell, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, spoke to the New York Times regarding how aggressively the police pursue low-level offenses

“This is why it’s so important to get the police mission right-sized and why it’s so important to have a police footprint no bigger than it has to be,” O’Donnell stated after speaking on unintended tragedies can occur due to the police ethos of action without reflection. “Kids have warrants; kids have mental health issues; kids are scared.”

According to new police policy issued by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, those caught with less than 25 grams of marijuana in New York City will be issued a citation and not taken into custody. There’s no word on if Kuta or his friends were aware of these changes.

The four officers who chased the teens — Maria Imburgia, Brian McMahon, Edmundo Rivera and Eduard Solano — have all been with the NYPD for less than two years.

None of the teenagers were arrested following the incident, even though marijuana was found on the premises.

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