- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Cop Indicted in Akai Gurley Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

© AP Photo / Mary AltafferPeter Liang, the New York City police officer indicted in the shooting death of Akai Gurley in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project pleaded not guilty to manslaughter Wednesday.
Peter Liang, the New York City police officer indicted in the shooting death of Akai Gurley in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project pleaded not guilty to manslaughter Wednesday. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The New York City police officer indicted in the shooting death of Akai Gurley in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project pleaded not guilty to manslaughter Wednesday.

In his arraignment in a Brooklyn courtroom, Peter Liang, 27, also pleaded not guilty to other felony charges including criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault, and misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and official misconduct.

Peter Liang, the NYPD officer who shot and killed 28-year-old Akai Gurley while he was standing in the stairwell of his Brooklyn housing project, will face criminal charges. - Sputnik International
Rookie NYPD Officer Indicted in Akai Gurley Shooting

On Nov. 20, while Liang and his partner were performing a “vertical patrol” of the Pink Houses in East New York he entered a darkened stairwell with his gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. As he opened the door to the stairwell, he fired a shot that ricocheted off a wall and struck resident Akai Gurley, 28, who was in the stairwell one floor below, in the chest. 

Brooklyn district attorney Kenneth P. Thompson told reporters that “there are no winners here,” explaining that he did not believe Liang intended to kill Gurley. “But he had his finger on the trigger, and he fired the gun.”

Liang’s attorney, Stephen C. Worth called the prosecution's version of events a “contorted theory.”

Of particular interest to prosecutors are the minutes immediately following the shot. The officers went back out of the stairwell as Gurley fled down two flights before collapsing. The officers then argued about calling in the shot, and reportedly failed to answer calls from commanding officers who had been alerted to 911 calls made by neighbors. 

“Officer Liang during that discussion with his partner refused to call in the shot while they were on the eighth floor,” said.

Though Gurley’s death often received attention along with other police killings of unarmed black men by police, Thompson was careful to distance from any wider political agenda. 

"This case has nothing to do with Ferguson or Eric Garner or any other case,” he said, referring to the death of Michael Brown, 18, at the hands of police in Missouri in August and to that of Eric Garner, 43, after he was placed in a chokehold by NYPD officers who stopped him for selling loose cigarettes in July. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio released a brief statement Tuesday in response to the indictment. "No matter the specific charges, this case is an unspeakable tragedy for the Gurley family. We urge everyone to respect the judicial process as it unfolds."

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала