NYPD police officer Peter Liang during the pre-trial hearing. Liang is now facing a $200,000 lawsuit from Akai Gurley's girlfriend. (Photo : REUTERS)
The girlfriend of Akai Gurley has filed a $200,000 lawsuit on Wednesday, Feb. 17, against convicted former NYPD officer Peter Liang and the city itself, according to a report by the New York Post.
The report said that the lawsuit was filed by Melissa Butler in Brooklyn Supreme Court in which she claimed that the city was negligent in hiring the rookie cop and his partner, Shaun Landau.
Peter Liang was later convicted for manslaughter and official misconduct, while his partner, Landau, was dismissed from the service.
During Liang's trial, Butler tearfully recounted that the two cops did not perform CPR as Gurley bled after being shot in the darkened stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project where the two officers were patrolling.
Butler said during the trial that she and Gurley took the stairs that night because the elevators were not working.
Liang now faces up to 15 years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter on Feb. 11. He is scheduled for sentencing on April 14.
The report said that the city Housing Authority was also named respondents in the suit.
Roger Wareham, the lawyer for Butler, said she still "suffers a lot from the loss of someone close to her . . . from just the lack of care or consideration that Liang and his partner showed for Akai."
According to the lawsuit, the police presence in the area was not needed since there were no reports of any disturbance during that time.
The lawsuit claimed that Liang violated rules and/or procedures by having his weapon out, having his finger on the trigger and firing his weapon in an area where he could not see anything, a report by nydailynews.com said.
The suit also cited Landau's failure to try and help Butler, who helped Gurley, as she tried to administer CPR.
The report said that Liang and Landau violated the patrol guide when the two argued about who should call in the accidental discharge.
Butler further claimed that the city has a "policy and practice which encompasses the philosophy that police officers can act with impunity toward black people."
Butler claimed she suffered injuries and damages as a consequence of the wrongful conduct, policy and practices of the officers, as well harassment, reckless and negligent infliction of emotional distress. She is seeking more than $200,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.
"The lawsuit will be reviewed," a law department spokesman of the Brooklyn court said.
