Peter Liang: Anger as New York police officer escapes jail for shooting death of unarmed black man

Liang has been ordered to complete 800 hours of community service

(AP)

A New York police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man in a dark stairwell has been told he will not go jail for the man’s death.

Peter Liang was on Tuesday sentenced to 800 hours of community service for the November 2014 shooting of Akai Gurley, who was walking down a stairway in a public housing complex when the rookie police officer fired a bullet into the darkness.

The court had been told he had fired his weapon by accident after being startled. The bullet ricocheted and killed 28-year-old Mr Gurley.


 Prosecutors said Akai Gurley was entirely innocent 
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“Given the defendant's background and how remorseful he is, it would not be necessary to incarcerate the defendant to have a just sentence in this case,” said Brooklyn state Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, according to the Associated Press.

A jury had in February convicted Liang of a manslaughter charge carrying up to 15 years in prison. But the judge on Tuesday reduced the offence to criminally negligent homicide, which carries up to four years in prison.

Liang, speaking softly, said he never meant to fire the gun and apologised to Mr Gurley's family.

“My life is forever changed,” he added. “I hope you give me a chance to rebuild it.”


 Liang was convicted in Februrary of manslaughter 
 (AP)

Liang was the first New York City police officer convicted in an on-duty shooting since 2005, and the verdict prompted an outpouring of demonstrations on both sides of a closely watched case.

The shooting happened in a year of debate nationwide about police killings of black men. Mr Gurley was black; Liang is Chinese-American.

As the sentencing approached, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse - some supporting Liang, others the Gurley family.

Mr Gurley’s girlfriend, Melissa Butler, who was with him when he died, told Liang: “When you stole Akai's life, you stole mine as well.”

After hearing the sentence, Mr Gurley’s relatives wept and hugged outside the courthouse.

“There’s no justice. Akai Gurley’s life does not matter. Black lives do not matter,” said his aunt, Hertensia Petersen. But, she vowed, “justice will be served, one way or the other”.