WBRZ - Baton Rouge

MINEOLA, N.Y. - A University of North Carolina student wounded in last summer's shooting outside the Empire State Building is suing New York City police department.

Chenin Duclos (SHEHN'-ihn DOO'-kloh) and eight other bystanders were wounded by police gunfire, ricochets and fragments. Officers were engaged in a gunfight with a man suspected of gunning down a former co-worker.

Duclos alleges the officers were grossly negligent and should have waited until the suspect moved away from bystanders.

The city's law department says the officers had to make a quick decision in dealing with a life-threatening situation. It also says the state's highest court says officers must be protected from such second-guessing.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. It was filed Tuesday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court.