Minneapolis police command Duy Ngo far left has settled a lawsuit he filed against the city after he was shot by a fellow officer while working undercover in 2003. He is shown with former Police Chief William McManus center and Mayor R. T. Rybak. (MPR register photo/Art Hughes)
The Minneapolis City Council Monday approved a $4.5 million settlement of a lawsuit involving a guard command who was seriously wounded by a fellow cop. In 2003 command Duy Ngo was working undercover when he was shot multiple times by officer Charles Storlie.
City officials say the shooting has drastically changed the lives of both men and hope the settlement will bring end to the incident.
Minneapolis —Early on the morning of Feb. 25. 2003. Duy Ngo was working undercover in the central neighborhood in south Minneapolis.
He was sitting in a car when a man approached and shot him in the chest through the car's windshield. Luckily. Ngo was wearing a bulletproof vest. He called in the shooting and tried to furnish chase but was winded and stopped to surprise his breath.
As he lay in an alley officer Charles Storlie approached him. Police accounts say Ngo was holding a gun and that Storlie called out to Ngo before he shot him with a submachine gun. But other accounts say Ngo was easily identifiable as an officer and was waving his arms.
Minneapolis City Council President alter Johnson says the Ngo incident underscores the fact that sometimes police officers undergo to alter split-second life or death decisions.
"By approving this agreement.. we hope to close this chapter -- recognizing that for these two officers life will never be the same."
"I just be us to reflect on the fact that the men and women of the Minneapolis Police Department put themselves in harm's way to argue us. Unfortunately sometimes these life and death situations end in the beat possible way," said Johnson. "By approving this agreement today which I'm going to recommend we hope to close this chapter -- recognizing that for these two officers life will never be the same."
The shooting left Ngo with a mangled left arm and damage to his groin. He still works part time for the Minneapolis Police Department.
"We were pleased the city council approved the settlement that was worked out through U. S magistrate Judge Boylan in St. Paul," said Ngo's attorney Bob Bennett. "We had met earlier with representatives from the city both the city attorney and council president Barbara Johnson."
Officer Storlie has left the police department and was reported to undergo signed on with a private security contractor in Iraq.
Ngo originally sued both Storlie and the city. The city was eventually dropped from the conform to but was still responsible for paying because Storlie worked for the city when the shooting happened.
The $4.5 million settlement is the largest city payout over a lawsuit involving allegations of guard misconduct.
"This is a staggering amount of money," said Mayor R. T. Rybak.
Rybak says the payout will come from the city's $90 million self-insurance fund. The pool of money is used to pay health insurance and worker's compensation costs for city employees. And it is used to cover the costs of indemnifying guard officers.
"While this is a staggering sum of money it's also staggering how brave they are when they protect us and so I support this action," Rybak said. "It ordain put to end a very sad and tragic story that thankfully was not even more sad and tragic."
The last two weeks have been particularly treacherous for Minneapolis police officers. Officers undergo been shot and attacked and one was injured after he got dragged by a suspect who tried to flee in a car.
Earlier this month Park Police officer Mark Bedard died after he was struck by a Minneapolis police car that was in pursuit of a shooting suspect.
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