Carey Gabay, aide to N.Y. Gov. Cuomo, dead from stray bullet

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Carey Gabay, 43, an aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, died Wednesday when he was taken off life support more than one week after he was hit in the head by a stray bullet.

Gabay was taken off a respirator soon after he was declared brain dead. He was in critical condition at the Kings County Hospital Center since Sept. 7, when he was shot while seeking shelter from a gang-related shooting in Brooklyn.

"He was a prince among men," friend and family spokesman Errol Cockfield told USA Today.

Gabay was a Harvard-educated lawyer who grew up in the Bronx projects. He began serving in Cuomo's administration in 2011 as an assistant counsel in the governor's office and later became first deputy general counsel of New York's economic-development agency, Empire State Development.

"Today we are all incredibly saddened by the news from Carey Gabay's family. I ask that all New Yorkers please join me in keeping both Carey and his family in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," Cuomo said in a statement.

A $12,000 reward is being offered by the New York Police Department for information that will lead to the arrest of Gabay's shooter.

"We ask that anyone who may have information related to the criminal case contact law enforcement as they conduct their investigation," Gabay's family said in its statement. "We will continue to burn a flame for Carey with the same tenacious yet tender spirit that has guided him."