Prosecutors say they won’t seek jail time for a New York City police officer convicted of manslaughter for accidentally shooting an innocent man in a Brooklyn stairwell.
Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson said Wednesday that he believes a prison sentence isn’t necessary for Peter Liang, the rookie officer who has since been fired. The 28-year-old Liang was convicted in February in the death of Akai Gurley.
Gurley was killed in 2014 after Liang accidentally fired a shot into a stairwell while on routine patrol. Prosecutors argued Liang’s actions were reckless and he shouldn’t have had his gun out. Liang’s lawyer said Gurley’s death was tragic, but not a crime.
Thompson says justice will be served if Liang serves five years’ probation. He also will recommend home confinement and community service.
(AP)
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One Response
Shame this prosecutor was not on the beat for Rubashkin. If you kill someone – and both sides agree that “rookie officer Liang” fired the shot that killed Mr Gurley – you get probation; if you are found guilty of financial mismanagement you get taken away from your family and find yourself in jail for dozens of years. Where is the justice in the US justice system?