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Woman Shot During Hatchet Attack in Jamaica Sues NYPD and City

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | April 16, 2015 3:23pm
 A hatchet-wielding man attacked a group of rookie police officers in Jamaica last fall.
Hatchet Attack in Jamaica
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QUEENS — A woman is suing the NYPD after police officers shot her while firing at a man who attacked them with a hatchet on a busy Jamaica street, according to a lawsuit.

Last October, a hatchet-wielding man attacked a group of police officers on Jamaica Avenue near 162nd Street, and in return, the officers gunned him down — but also shot bystander, 29-year-old Latoya James, in the process.

James was shot in the back and the bullet went through her colon, her attorney, Andrew Siben told DNAinfo New York in an interview last November, when James first filed a notice of claim against the city.

The officers were careless and negligent by failing to "determine that the area was clear of pedestrians prior to discharging their weapons" and to "safeguard and prevent injury to pedestrians and/or innocent bystanders," according to the lawsuit filed on Tuesday at the State Supreme Court.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Siben did not immediately respond to request for comment on Thursday. 

After the injury, James spent about 10 days at Jamaica Hospital and then another week at a rehabilitation center. James was homeless at the time of the incident and returned to a shelter after treatment, Siben said in November.

“It was a very traumatic experience," Siben said then. "She had very extensive internal injuries. It’s going to be a long road towards recovery.”

During the incident, Zale Thompson charged at a group of rookie police officers and struck two officers with a metal hatchet, hitting one in the head and another on the arm at roughly 2 a.m. on Oct. 23, 2014. 

Police shot and killed Thompson in front of a nearby Conway store. Officers Kenneth Healey, 24, and Joseph Meeker, 25, were taken to Jamaica Hospital.

“When confronted with a hatchet-wielding suspect who was in the process of attacking fellow officers and who presented a clear and imminent danger to others, responding police officers were required to make split-second decisions concerning the use of deadly force to neutralize the suspect," the city's corporation counsel, Zachary Carter, said in a statement.

"It was the suspect who was primarily responsible for endangering innocent bystanders and we intend to vigorously defend the actions of the responding officers,” he added.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.