Reports:
NYPD cop who shot woman has brutality history
A New York City police detective who killed an unarmed carjacking
suspect has been sued at least six times since 2003 over alleged brutality.
The New York Times and New York Post reported that the city has already
paid out $224,000 to settle lawsuits against detective Phil Atkins.
The detective's gun discharged Thursday as he struggled with 23-year-old
Shantel Davis, who had smashed a stolen car into a minivan.
It isn't clear whether he intended to fire.
The president of the police detectives' union says lawsuits against
officers are common, and he is confident Atkins acted properly.
Davis also had a history. She was awaiting trial on charges that she was
part of a gang that shot a man five times during a break-in a year ago.