Sgt. Hugh Barry, the police officer who shot and killed 66-year-old Deborah Danner, was sued twice for abuse of power prior to the incident in the Bronx.
Barry had been sued 2012 by Gregory Peters, and in 2014 by Jessy Ayala, Gabriel Diaz and Luis Pena.
“Barry’s history shows an abuse of authority and a tendency to escalate encounters with civilians rather than de-escalate them,” said Peters’ lawyer Brett Klein.
Peters won a $25,000 settlement in his case after he claimed that Peters had pepper sprayed him and then kicked and punched him, leaving him covered in bruises during a 2010 incident.
“Barry struck me as someone who did not do a good job of assessing situations and someone who was not exceptionally bright,” said Diaz’s lawyer Ken Montgomery.
During an incident in 2011, Diaz suffered cuts and bruises and also had to have staples in his head to treat a gash there. Diaz claimed that he had been attacked after questioning a cop who pushed him, and Barry joined in after spotting the officer hitting him with a metal baton.
Ayala and Pena also suffered injuries during the incident and settled their case with a $10,000 settlement paid out by the city.