NEW YORK — A New York City rookie officer has been charged with manslaughter, official misconduct and other charges in the accidental shooting death of a man in a darkened stairwell of a Brooklyn public housing complex.
Officer Peter Liang pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the November death of 28-year-old Akai Gurley. He was released without bail. The Brooklyn courtroom was packed with officers.
Liang and his partner were patrolling the Louis Pink Houses, a public housing complex where reports of violent crime had spiked. The hallways were pitch black, and Liang had his gun drawn. Police said it appeared he accidentally fired a shot. Gurley had been waiting for an elevator. When it didn’t come, he stepped into the hallway to take the stairs and was one floor above when he was struck.
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