Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson has died at the age of 50 after a battle with cancer. NY1's Grace Rauh filed the following report.
Less than three years ago, Ken Thompson made history. He become the first African-American to serve as Brooklyn's chief prosecutor after ousting longtime incumbent Charles Hynes in a primary.
Thompson's sudden death on Sunday comes just five days after he announced taking a leave of absence to fight a recent cancer diagnosis.
"As a man of intense faith, I intend to fight and win the battle against this disease," Thompson said in a statement last week. "I humbly seek your sincere prayers as I confront this challenge."
Thompson is survived by his wife, Lu-Shawn Thompson, his children Kennedy and Kenny, as well as his mother, father, brother and sister.
Chief Assistant Eric Gonzalez was tapped to lead the DA's office in Thompson's absence.
Thompson came into office in 2014 as a reformer.
"We must make sure that the stop-and-frisk in Brooklyn going forward must be based on reasonable suspicion," he said on November 6, 2013.
He ended prosecutions of minor marijuana possession offenses, and he exonerated several people who had been wrongfully imprisoned.
Thompson initially won praise from police reformers for prosecuting police officer Peter Liang for shooting and killing Akai Gurley in a public housing stairwell in Brooklyn. But when he recommended the officer get probation instead of prison time, that praise turned to outrage.
In August, Thompson got in trouble with the city's Conflicts of Interest Board for having employees pay for his meals and his use of office funds to reimburse them. He was fined $15,000.
There will be no special election to fill Thompson's seat. Governor Andrew Cuomo could appoint a replacement that would need Senate confirmation, but that seems unlikely since there will be an election next year.