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Family of Akai Gurley Files Lawsuit Against City, Rookie Officers

 The family of Akai Gurley filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, NYPD and officers involved in his death on Thursday. 
Akai Gurley Lawsuit
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BROOKLYN — The family of the unarmed man shot and killed by an NYPD rookie officer in a dark Brooklyn stairwell filed a lawsuit against the city.

The wrongful death suit was filed Thursday on behalf of Akai Gurley’s domestic partner, Kimberly Ballenger, and his 2-year-old daughter, Akaila Gurley. The family had filed a $50 million notice of claim in January.

Officer Peter Liang was “negligent, reckless and careless” in shooting Gurley in the East New York project last November, according to the lawsuit.

Liang was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault, reckless endangerment and official misconduct earlier this year.

The officer and his partner, Shaun Landau, were conducting a vertical patrol in the Pink Houses on Nov. 20 when Liang, who had his gun drawn, accidentally fired a shot as he opened the door to the stairwell, according to prosecutors.

The bullet ricocheted off a concrete wall and struck Gurley in the chest.

Liang and his partner then allegedly did not call for help or aid Gurley for four minutes while the father bled to death in the stairwell.  

The lawsuit also claims the New York City Housing Authority should be held responsible for failing to properly light the stairwell.

The city, NYPD and Landau are also named in the suit.

The New York City Law Department has yet to receive the court papers, a spokesman said.

“This incident was tragic,” the spokesman added. “We will the review the complaint once we are served.”