The New York Daily News reports that Officer Peter Liang was charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of Akai Gurley.
On November 20, 2014, Gurley was walking down a dark flight stairs in a Brooklyn apartment, after he grew tired of waiting for an elevator. During a customary — and controversial — vertical patrol, Liang fatally shot the unarmed man, who Police Chief Bill Bratton later called a “total innocent.” But instead of calling for medical assistance, Liang and Officer Shaun Landau chose to text a union representative.
Gurley’s death fueled national protests over police officers’ perceived use of force against countless African American men and women, including Mike Brown and Eric Garner. Liang’s indictment breaks a cycle of non-indictments in the past year.