NEW YORK, March 13 (Reuters) - A New York City police officer involved in the fatal 1999 shooting of unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo wants to be allowed to carry a gun again while on the job.

Kenneth Boss, nicknamed "Kenny No-Gun" by fellow officers, said in a lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday that his performance as a U.S. Marine during a recent tour in Iraq is proof of his readiness to return to full status on the police department.

He has been on restricted duty and cannot carry a gun.

Boss was one of four police officers involved when 41 bullets were fired at Diallo, a 23-year-old man from Guinea.

The memory of that case was revived last November when police fired 50 shots at three unarmed men, killing Sean Bell on his wedding day in a case still under investigation.

Of the four officers in the Diallo shooting, only Boss remains on the force.

In 2000, the officers were acquitted on charges of murdering Diallo and cleared of violating police rules by a departmental review. The shooting and verdict sparked big demonstrations protesting police brutality and racial profiling that resulted in hundreds of arrests.

The city later agreed to pay the Diallo family $3 million.

Boss's suit says he has been "regarded as a pariah and was forced to endure regular taunts because of his duty status."

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