Guardian of subway rider inadvertently shot in the head by NYPD officer files $80M claim against city
The temporary guardian of a New York City subway rider who was inadvertently shot in the head by police officers at a Brooklyn station last month has filed an $80 million legal claim against the city, accusing the officers of “carelessness and reckless disregard” for the lives of others when they opened fire on a man holding a knife in front of a train.
The temporary guardian of a New York City subway rider who was inadvertently shot in the head by police officers at a Brooklyn station last month has filed an $80 million legal claim against the city, accusing the officers of “carelessness and reckless disregard” for the lives of others when they opened fire on a man holding a knife in front of a train.
Gregory Delpeche, 49, a city hospital worker, was shot Sept. 15 while he was riding the L train. He suffered a traumatic and significant brain injury, according to the notice of claim, which is the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city.
Delpeche “remains confined to a hospital bed in a level-one trauma center,” the filing says.
Two officers opened fire on the man with the knife after he entered the station without paying his fare and refused to drop the weapon. In addition to the man, identified by police as Derell Mickles, and Delpeche, one of the officers was wounded in the shooting and a 26-year-old woman suffered a graze wound.
The police department’s Chief of Patrol John Chell previously described the shooting as a “tragic situation” and said “we did the best we could to protect our lives and the lives of people on that train.”
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