NYPD Officer Found Guilty of Manslaughter in Akai Gurley’s Death

The defense said the shooting was an accident, not a crime. Liang’s defense team argued that he was in shock after he realized his bullet had struck someone.

(Gregory P. Mango /New York Post via AP, Pool).

“Peter Liang was sworn to protect and serve Akai Gurley, but he shot him for no good reason”, said Alexis, the prosecutor.

“Nobody deserved to die like Akai did, and no verdict in this world can heal our heartache or pain in losing Akai”, the statement said. “We hope today’s outcome brings some closure to the Gurley family after this painful event”.

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. He has vowed to appeal. “It was a tragedy, but justice was done”, said Thompson. Liang thought he might get fired. Volpe ultimately plead guilty during the trial and is serving a 30-year federal prison term. His sentencing is scheduled for April.

News reports that the predominantly White jury found Liang guilty of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, criminally negligent homicide and official misconduct for shooting (and subsequently not assisting) Akai Gurley. Gurley’s girlfriend testified Liang did not offer aid while he was bleeding.

One supporter of Liang told us he was upset with the verdict. Garner’s death and the grand jury’s decision both prompted protests in NY.

She disagreed with police union head Patrick Lynch’s assertion that the conviction would produce a chilling effect throughout the NYPD toward taking unsafe assignments.

The Chinese-American police officer and his partner had been on a routine patrol of Louis H. Pink Houses when the incident occurred.

Instead of offering assistance to Gurley as he lay dying, Liang panicked and delayed calling in his “mistake” over the radio, instead calling his commanding officer’s cell phone.

Liang, who remains free on bail, left the courthouse without comment. Following the verdict, Liang was dismissed from the NYPD, a department spokesman said.

Gurley was in the Brooklyn public housing complex to have a friend do his hair before heading out on a Thanksgiving trip with his fiancée and their two children, Buzzfeed has reported.

Those attending the trial inside the Brooklyn Supreme Court gasped when the verdict was read.

The rookie officer was patrolling the stairwell with his gun drawn in 2014 when he fired.

The prosecutors portrayed Officer Liang as acting recklessly in pulling out his weapon and firing inside a public space where residents come and go.

Liang, 28, said he had been holding his weapon safely, with his finger on the side and not the trigger, when a sudden sound jarred him and his body tensed. Liang was convicted of killing an unarmed man while on duty in November 2014.

Liang himself showed remorse when testifying during the final days of the trial, having to leave the courtroom to compose himself.

Advocates for police accountability have closely watched the case because U.S. police officers who injure or kill civilians rarely face criminal charges.

The court heard how Liang drew his gun upon entering a darkened stairwell in a Brooklyn housing project and fired a single bullet that ricocheted off the wall and hit Gurley on the floor below. Earlier, they had reheard testimony from Liang and other witnesses.