Officers Who Shot Kimani Gray Have Been Repeatedly Sued for Civil Rights Violations
The NYPD officers who shot 16-year-old Kimani Gray seven times last weekend have a long history of lawsuits alleging civil rights abuses and have cost New York City over $215,000 in settlements. Sgt. Mourad Mourad and Officer Jovaniel Cordova, who have now been identified as the officers who shot Gray, have had a total of five lawsuits brought against the two of them, including suits stemming from wrongful arrest and illegal stop and frisks.
Lawyer Brett Klein, who argued on behalf of the plaintiffs in four out of the five cases, told the Daily News that, "Our clients' interactions with Sgt. Mourad and Officer Cordova expose a disturbing pattern of unconstitutional and aggressive stop-and-frisk practices."
The lawsuits include a wrongful arrest that resulted in a man staying four months at Rikers Island, as well as a traffic stop where Sgt. Mourad attempted to pull the driver's underwear off. Another lawsuit alleged that Officer Cordova punched a man in the face inside of a Manhattan apartment building.
The officers have been put on desk duty while the Brooklyn DA investigates the circumstances of the shooting, which occurred after the officers alleged that Gray pulled a gun on them. Eyewitnesses dispute whether he was carrying a gun at all.
The shooting has set off a week of demonstrations by residents (and non-residents) of the heavily-policed East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn.