*

11.26.2007

minneapolis settles lawsuit with shot cop

Today in Minneapolis, the city agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Duy Ngo, an undercover police officer who was shot by a colleague and left permanently disabled: Minneapolis Settles Shot Officer's Suit. The incident happened back in 2003, when Officer Charles Storlie shot Ngo six times with a semiautomatic machine gun:
Ngo was on gang surveillance in February 2003 when he got into a confrontation with a suspect and was shot in the side. His bulletproof vest saved him, and Ngo radioed for help, describing the suspect, who fled on foot.

Officer Charles Storlie was among those who responded to the call. When Storlie arrived, Ngo was on one knee under a streetlight waving his arms. Storlie jumped out of his cruiser and almost immediately began firing his semiautomatic machine gun, striking Ngo six times.

Ngo, 35, returned to work after months of rehabilitation but is restricted to desk duty because he can't grip a gun. The lawsuit, filed in 2004, claimed Storlie violated his civil rights by improperly using deadly force.
Deadly force indeed. That's crazy. Storlie resigned in January and is now apparently doing contract security work in the Middle East. More details on the case and Ngo's settlement here: Minneapolis cop shot by colleague settles for $4.5M