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Killing of Akai Gurley
| Date | November 20, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Time | c. 11:15 p.m. EST |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Participants | Killed: Akai Gurley Officers: Peter Liang and Shaun Landau |
| Deaths | Akai Gurley |
| Suspects | Peter Liang |
| Charges | Second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, two counts of official misconduct |
| Convictions | Manslaughter (reduced at sentencing to criminally negligent homicide) official misconduct |
| Sentence | Five years of probation |
| Litigation | $52 million lawsuit filed by Gurley's family against City of New York |
Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old black man, was fatally shot on November 20, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, by a New York City Police Department officer. Two police officers, patrolling stairwells in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)'s Louis H. Pink Houses in East New York, Brooklyn, entered a pitch-dark, unlit stairwell. Officer Peter Liang, 27, had his firearm drawn. Gurley and his girlfriend entered the seventh-floor stairwell, fourteen steps below them. Liang fired his weapon; the shot ricocheted off a wall and fatally struck Gurley in the chest. A jury convicted Liang of manslaughter, which a court later reduced to criminally negligent homicide.
On February 10, 2015, Liang was indicted by a grand jury (seven men and five women)[1] for manslaughter, assault, and other criminal charges (five counts total)[2] after members were shown footage of the unlit house and the 9mm Glock used in the shooting. In evaluating the possibility of equipment failure, they concluded that the 11.5-pound (51-newton) trigger could not have been fired unintentionally.[3] Liang turned himself in to authorities the next day and was arraigned. He was convicted of manslaughter and official misconduct on February 11, 2016, facing up to 15 years of prison time.
The conviction galvanized the Chinese community in New York City and across the United States.[4] Many felt that Liang (an Asian American) was being used as a scapegoat; Chinese Americans organized rallies in major cities via WeChat, Facebook, Twitter, and email.[5][6][7]
On March 28, 2016, prosecuting Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson recommended to Kings County Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun that Liang serve only house arrest and community service for his sentence.[8] On April 19, 2016, Justice Chun sentenced Liang to five years probation and 800 hours community service after downgrading his manslaughter conviction to criminally negligent homicide.[9]
- ^ "Former NYPD Cop Peter Liang's Guilty Verdict Leaves a Community Divided". NBC News. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ Phippen, J. Weston. "A Guilty Verdict in the Akai Gurly Case". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ Saul, Emily; Fears, Danika (January 26, 2016). "Liang had 'thousand-yard stare' after staircase shooting, fellow cop testifies". New York Post. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ Kang, Jay Caspian (February 23, 2016). "How Should Asian-Americans Feel About the Peter Liang Protests?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Makinen, Julie (February 24, 2016). "Chinese social media platform plays a role in U.S. rallies for NYPD officer". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ "Former NYPD Cop Peter Liang's Guilty Verdict Leaves a Community Divided". NBC News. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ Phippen, J. Weston (March 3, 2016). "Why Was Officer Peter Liang Convicted?". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Kapp, Trevor. "Peter Liang To Be Sentenced Tuesday for Manslaughter Conviction". DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
sentencewas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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