Cop fired after conviction in stairwell shooting

When he walked into the stairwell, Liang told jurors he heard a “quick” sound that startled him, “and the gun just went off after I tensed up”. Liang’s attorneys have argued that the trigger spring may have been defective, requiring less pressure than what’s necessary to fire an NYPD-issued Glock 9mm. Witness testimony said Liang “did nothing” to help the victim.

(Gregory P. Mango /New York Post via AP, Pool). Following the verdict, Liang was dismissed from the NYPD, a department spokesman said.

The New York police officer who fatally shot Akai Gurley in a stairwell back in 2014 has been officially found guilty of manslaughter.

The conviction comes a week after a MI police officer was sentenced to 13 months to 10 years for beating an unarmed Black man after a traffic violation.

The jury found 28-year-old Liang guilty of second-degree manslaughter and official misconduct after a two-week trial in Brooklyn, prosecutors said.

Liang faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced later this year.

Police Officer Peter Liang, center, leaves the courtroom after closing arguments in his trial on charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Brooklyn Supreme court in NY.

“The death of Akai Gurley was a tragedy”.

The Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, which has been organizing around issues of police brutality and misconduct for more than 30 years, called this attitude “misguided”. At closing arguments, Liang’s lawyers asked the judge to declare a mistrial, saying the prosecution made an “inflammatory and inappropriate” argument when they said Liang intentionally shot Gurley. The bullet had traveled downward, hit the cinderblock wall on the side of the stairs and then ricocheted and hit Mr. Gurley a floor below and completely out of sight.

Prosecutors for the Brooklyn DA’s Office argued that Officer Liang and his partner had stalled for up to four minutes after shooting Gurley, arguing over who should call their superior, while Gurley lay dying.

Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement on the verdict Thursday night also.

This was a bad and tragic accident and not a crime.

“I just turned, and the gun went off”, Liang testified.

Liang, 28, put his head in his hands as the verdict was read out. He also admitted that he did not help Gurley, as he felt it was better to wait for assistance from a trained medical aid.

Shaun Landau, his partner, who testified at trial under an immunity agreement, said Liang broke down in tears after realizing he had shot someone.

Liang shot Gurley while performing a vertical patrol of the Pink Houses in East New York in November of 2014.