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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The officer who fatally shot an Iraq War veteran, which led to one of the largest judgments ever made against the city, has filed a complaint against the city and the Police Department for failing to promote him.

Police Chief Gorden Eden said promoting the officer despite his controversial past would show “poor judgment” and hurt the department’s credibility as it moves forward with reforms.

Detective Brett Lampiris-Tremba, who fatally shot Kenneth Ellis III in January 2010, said in the lawsuit that he passed the sergeant’s exam in December 2012 and, under the city’s own rules, should have been promoted to the rank.

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He said he had few cases of discipline throughout his 18-year career with the city and that he has been working as an “acting sergeant” since fall 2014.

Lampiris-Tremba filed the complaint in state District Court earlier this month. He is seeking to immediately be promoted with back pay and associated benefits dating to October 2014, when he said an officer was promoted ahead of him.

“This officer’s actions involved a shooting incident that cost the city more than $8 million, was a major subject of the DOJ investigation and a civil lawsuit. The findings and final judgment from the courts must be considered for future promotion,” Eden said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Promotion to a supervisory position within APD would demonstrate poor judgment and could compromise the credibility of the Department during this critical period of reform,” he said.

Attorney Fred Mowrer filed the complaint on Lampiris-Tremba’s behalf. Mowrer could not be reached for comment.

“Brett was involved in an unfortunate incident. But police officers are sued all the time. You are going to be sued for doing your job,” said Shaun Willoughby, the president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association. “Just because you get involved in an unfortunate incident shouldn’t give the city the right to bar you from having a successful career.”

The union has filed a separate complaint on Lampiris-Tremba’s behalf that will be heard by the city’s personnel board in connection with the detective not getting a promotion.

Willoughby said Lampiris-Tremba has never been told specifically why he has been passed over for a promotion.

And the complaint for declaratory judgment makes no mention of the shooting, which happened after police blocked Ellis’ car in a convenience store parking lot near Eubank and Constitution because the car’s license plate information didn’t match the vehicle.

The stop led to a nine-minute standoff with Ellis, who was pointing a gun at his own head. Ellis, 25, suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Iraq War as an infantryman.

Lampiris-Tremba fatally shot Ellis in the neck. He told investigators that Ellis had “twitched” and later said in the court that Ellis had taken a step toward police.

APD’s internal affairs unit and a grand jury cleared Lampiris-Tremba of any wrongdoing.

Ellis’ family brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

In March 2013, the jury in the case found that Lampiris-Tremba acted “willfully, wantonly or recklessly” and awarded one of the largest judgments ever against the city.

The jury’s $10.3 million award included $7.6 million against the city for Ellis’ wrongful death and $2.7 million in punitive damages against Lampiris-Tremba.

The city appealed the decision and later agreed to pay the family $7.95 million in January 2014.

Ellis’ family became frequent critics of the police department after the shooting, which was one of the shootings that led the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the department.

That investigation concluded that Albuquerque police had a pattern of excessive force. As a result, the department is currently operating under a series of court-enforceable reforms.

Ken Ellis Sr., Ellis’ father, said Lampiris-Tremba’s complaint shows that officers are not held accountable.

“They are not being held accountable for their actions. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “He should be fired. He did wrong. He shouldn’t have been a cop in the first place.”