The mother of a man who was shot and killed seven years ago in a struggle with a New York police officer was awarded $10 million in punitive damages on Wednesday. A NY1 News story detailed how 23-year-old Malcolm Ferguson was unarmed in March of 2000 when he was shot during an altercation with plain-clothed police officer Louis Rivera, who is still with the NYPD but now works a desk job and no longer carries a gun. While the death was ruled accidental, the victim’s mother, Bronx resident Juanita Young, has claimed that her son was a victim of police brutality. While Young has vowed to continue to fight for the rights of victims of police brutality, the New York City Law Department has said that it will appeal the ruling of this personal injury lawsuit as the jury agreed that the shooting was an accident. The NYC Law Department added in a statement that it is confident the wrongful death verdict would be dropped in the appeals process.

Young has said that she will like to see the criminal case reopened and charges filed against Rivera. We’ll keep you updated on any more developments with this case.