NEW YORK – A judge is holding a hearing on whether to throw out the manslaughter verdict for a New York Police Department officer who shot an unarmed man in a darkened stairwell at a public housing project.
Peter Liang was convicted in the 2014 shooting of Akai Gurley. Liang was patrolling inside the building when he fired his weapon once accidentally, and the bullet ricocheted and struck Gurley.
Liang's attorneys say a juror initially said no one in his family had been accused of a crime. But the juror told a newspaper later that his father was sent to prison for accidentally shooting a friend to death.
The judge is to make his decision Wednesday.
Liang is to be sentenced Thursday. The Brooklyn district attorney has recommended Liang not serve prison time.
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