Mayor hopes verdict in cop’s case brings closure
(Gregory P. Mango /New York Post via AP, Pool). He was dismissed from the New York Police Department right after the verdict.
William J. Bratton, the police commissioner, has described Gurley as “totally innocent” and called the shooting an accident, while New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) called Gurley’s death “a tragedy”.
Gurley, whose family relocated to the U.S. from St Thomas when he was a baby, landed in the neighborhood’s Louis Pink houses in 2010 when he moved in with girlfriend Kimberly Ballinger.
But prosecutor Marc Fliedner claimed Liang “fired for no reason”, then “wasted precious time arguing with his partner”, anxious he would be sacked. Defenders of Liang stated it was just a tragic accident and that he was being used as a scapegoat for past injustices that have occurred in the Black community. Screen says the verdict should not be seen as a political statement, although the deaths of other men in police custody were an unspoken presence.
Liang, 28, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide and one count of official misconduct, stemming from not administering CPR to Gurley.
The prosecutors portrayed Officer Liang as acting recklessly in pulling out his weapon and firing inside a public space where residents come and go. His attorneys filed a motion asking the judge to set aside the jury’s verdict. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
“Instead of shining a light, he pointed his gun and shot Akai Gurley”, Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Joe Alexis said in his closing argument.
He said Akai Gurley’s death brought people from all walks of life together.
Gurley was 28 years old, and leaves behind a young daughter.
“If you fire a gun and you know you’re guilty, say “I’m guilty” and that’s it”, he said.
Liang’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 14. He was sacked from the force after the ruling, an NYPD spokesman said.
Officer Peter Liang was found guilty of manslaughter and official misconduct in the November 2014 case in which his gun fired, the bullet striking a wall and ricocheting so that it struck Gurley in the chest, according to BuzzFeed.
Liang’s indictment a year ago came weeks after a grand jury declined to charge a white NY officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, sparking citywide protests.
Liang was patrolling a public housing high-rise in Brooklyn with his gun drawn when he fired; he said a sound startled him.
Panicked, Liang also failed to provide aid to the wounded man before he died. He said Liang, who remains free on bail, would appeal.