A disabled teenager wielding a 6-inch knife was shot in the abdomen by police officers last night. Stanley Cherenfant, 19, who has trouble with his right arm because of a childhood stroke, got into a fight with his cousin over a craps game in East Flatbush late last night. Once Cherenfant left to get a weapon, his cousin called 911, claiming Cherenfant was threatening him with a gun. Cops say they identified themselves to Cherenfant and attempted to stop him with pepper spray, but he continued walking towards them and refused to drop the knife. Once he was about six feet from the cops, an officer shot him in the lower abdomen.
Cherenfant is in stable condition in Kings County Hospital, but neighbors are disputing the police description of the event, saying police didn't give Cherenfant enough warning before they shot. Stanley Cherenfant's brother, Steven, told the Daily News, "There was no 'freeze,' just a shot. My brother said he's crippled to the police. Then they just shot him and cuffed him." Stanley Cherenfant has been arrested five times on drug-related charges, and neighbors say he is a member of a local gang.
His uncle, a police officer in Chicago, says he understands why his nephew was shot. "She saw him as a threat. He was facing the officer but directing the anger at his cousin. She was doing her job, she was protecting him." Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the incident is still under investigation.
