Published January 25, 2016
A rookie New York Police Department officer who shot an unarmed man inside a housing project is going on trial.
Opening statements are set for Monday morning in the manslaughter case against Officer Peter Liang (lee-ANG'). The officer shot and killed 28-year-old Akai Gurley in 2014.
His lawyers have said the shooting was an accident, not a crime. They've also indicated Liang will take the witness stand.
Investigators say Liang was holding his flashlight and his gun when he fired a single round in a pitch black stairwell. The bullet bounced off a wall before striking Gurley, who was on the floor below him.
Prosecutors also say that the officer and his partner argued over whether to report the shooting to supervisors.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/trial-set-for-nypd-officer-charged-in-killing-of-unarmed-man