Court ruled guilty to the rookie New York police officer who was charged with manslaughter for shooting an unarmed man in Brooklyn housing project. The said officer is also convicted to official misconduct charge in connection to the said fatal shooting in 2014.
Peter Liang, the 28 year old rookie New York police officer is scheduled to be sentence in 14th of April, after the he was found guilty to the death of Akai Gurley, a 28 year old black man in Brooklyn, Guardian reported. New York Police Department said, they have terminated the officer from the police force after the verdict was delivered.
The representing lawyer for Akai Gurley's family, Scott Rynecki said, he's hoping officers will get the message of Liang's case. "If a police officer does something wrong their actions will be held accountable and will be held accountable in a court of law," Rynecki said.
Before coming into a guilty ruling, the prosecution debated on the trial regarding Liang's service weapon. They handled Liang's unloaded weapon in the courtroom, pulling the trigger to gauge how much pressure it takes to fire. The defendant said his finger was never on the trigger, however, prosecutors argued that saying pressure must be applied for the bullet to discharge.
According to New York Times, the incident stemmed when Peter Liang, along with his partner went on their vertical patrol duty on November 20, 2014. The officers went inside the Louis H. Pink Houses in East New York, Brooklyn. Liang entered a dark stairwell when his gun went off, saying he was startled by a loud noise. The bullet ricocheted off the wall, hitting the victim, Akai Gurley in the heart, who was at the time walking with his girlfriend down the stairs.
Liang said, he was panicking and had a fight with his partner on who would report the incident, that's why it was not reported right away for fearing he might get fired. CBS News reported, the officer looked for the bullet and discovered the lifeless body of Gurley with his girlfriend weeping over him. He said he did not realize anyone was hit.
After hearing the verdict, Officer Liang bowed his head and sank his face into his hands. He faces up to 15 years in prison on the second-degree manslaughter charge. Gurley's family, thanked God and the District Attorney's office for the outcome.
