March 12, 2004 -Family Of Slain Teen Wants $600M
Family Files Claim In Deadly Shooting
The family of an unarmed teenager shot and killed by a police officer on a Brooklyn rooftop has demanded that the city pay $600 million in damages.
The notice of claim -- a precursor to a wrongful death lawsuit -- was announced Friday at a rally in Brooklyn by relatives of Timothy Stansbury Jr. They were joined by City Councilman Charles Barron, who called on federal authorities to bring a civil rights case against Officer Richard Neri, who is white, and the NYPD.
"There's a pattern of white police officers shooting black and Latino citizens with impunity," Barron said after the rally.
Kate O'Brien Ahlers, a spokeswoman for the city's law department, said the notice of claim was under review.
Last month, a state grand jury found Neri was not criminally responsible for the death of the 19-year-old victim, even though Police Commissioner Ray Kelly had said the shooting appeared unjustified. Federal prosecutors have said they are conducting a "thorough review of the evidence" in the case.
The officer shot Stansbury in the chest on Jan. 24 as the teen opened a door leading to a rooftop landing. Neri and his partner were patrolling a housing project.
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