NY police officer charged with manslaughter

A New York police officer who shot dead unarmed African American Akai Gurley in Brooklyn last November has been charged with manslaughter.

Officer Peter Liang, 27, was indicted on charges including second-degree manslaughter on Wednesday.

He pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment over the death of Gurley in a killing that fueled protests across the US last year.

The rookie NYPD police officer was released without bail after a hearing during which he stood silently in a dark suit in a New York court.

“Murderer!” screamed Hertencia Peterson, an aunt of Gurley. “He’s a murderer! Why is he out? ... If he was a black man, he’d be shackled.”

Prosecutors said there was no reason for Liang to fire his weapon on the night of the fatal shooting.

“There was absolutely no threat to him, his partner or any resident,” said Assistant District Attorney Marc Fliedner at the hearing. “He mishandled his weapon, and as a result Akai Gurley is dead.”

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said he launched an investigation into the death of Gurley, who died after Liang opened fire in a darkened staircase at a Brooklyn apartment building on November 20, within hours of his death.

He added that dozens of witnesses were interviewed and the staircase was examined several times, resulting in the indictment of Liang.

Authorities initially said Gurley, who was 28 and the father of a young daughter, died due to an accidental discharge but Thompson said last December that a grand jury was convening to investigate the death.

The shooting death of Gurley prompted Black Lives Matter protesters to hit streets in New York and elsewhere in the country to demand an indictment for the NYPD officer.

The killing of several unarmed black men by white police officers in recent months and decisions by grand juries not to indict some of the officers has triggered large-scale protests across the US.

A recent survey by the Reuters and IPSOS polling organization has found a significant distrust of police in the United States, where many Americans believe police target minorities unfairly and often lie for their own interests.

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