Amy Cooper faces charges after calling police on black birdwatcher in Central Park

The incident came amid a spate of police killings of black people across the country

A woman who falsely reported to New York police that a black man who asked for her dog to be leashed was “threatening” her life is to face misdemeanour charges, the Manhattan district attorney announced on Monday.

Amy Cooper, who was fired from her position at an investment firm after a video of the 25 May incident went viral, could face up to a year in jail for filing a false report.

"Today our office initiated a prosecution of Amy Cooper for Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree," said Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance. “We are strongly committed to holding perpetrators of this conduct accountable.”

Mr Vance added that anyone who has been the victim of false reporting should contact his office.

A video of Ms Cooper's confrontation with Christian Cooper, a 57-year-old avid birdwatcher and Harvard graduate who was walking with binoculars in the park, caused outrage and was seen by millions of people after it was posted online.

Many who saw the video accused Ms Cooper of unnecessarily endangering Mr Cooper's life by falsely claiming to police that he was threatening her. The incident came amid a spate of killings of black people by police across the country.

The clip begins shortly after Mr Cooper asked her to put her dog on a leash — a park rule meant to protect wildlife in the 'Ramble' area of the park.

The video shows Ms Cooper holding her dog by the collar as she asks Mr Cooper to stop filming her. Mr Cooper asks her to not come towards him. She then said in the video she would be calling the police.

“I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,” Ms Cooper says. “Please tell them whatever you like,” Mr Cooper responds.

Ms Cooper then called police and appeared hysterical as she said: “There’s a man, African American, he has a bicycle helmet. He is recording me and threatening me and my dog.” She later asks for police to be sent “immediately”.

The video ends with Mr Cooper saying “thank you” after she put a leash on her dog.

Ms Cooper issued a public apology following the incident, in which she tried to explain her reaction.

“I reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions when, in fact, I was the one who was acting inappropriately by not having my dog on a leash,” Ms Cooper said in the statement.