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NYC Cop Convicted Of Manslaughter In Death Of Akai Gurley
Huffington Post ^ | 2/12/16 | Matt Ferner

Posted on 02/12/2016 7:13:27 AM PST by DoodleDawg

New York City police Officer Peter Liang was convicted of manslaughter Thursday in the 2014 shooting death of an unarmed black man in a darkened Brooklyn public housing project stairwell.

Liang's single gunshot killed Akai Gurley, 28, who was walking down the stairs on Nov. 20, 2014.

NYPD said after the jury's verdict that Liang had been fired from the department. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 14.

Liang said he drew his pistol as he and his partner patrolled the darkened 8th floor stairwell of the Louis H. Pink Houses in Brooklyn. He said he flinched when he was startled by a noise, which he said caused the gun to fire.

The bullet ricocheted off of the stairwell wall and struck Gurley, who was on the seventh floor. Gurley, who was unarmed, died from a wound in his chest.

(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; police
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This us the one where the cop panicked and fired into a darkened stairwell and killed a guy who was just walking down the stairs. The shooting wasn't justified but the verdict was.
1 posted on 02/12/2016 7:13:27 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: DoodleDawg
"He said he flinched when he was startled by a noise, which he said caused the gun to fire."

Which is why he was taught his first day on the range not to put you finger on the trigger until you have acquired a target and made a conscious decision to shoot it.

2 posted on 02/12/2016 7:18:24 AM PST by circlecity
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To: DoodleDawg

He didn’t “panic and shoot into a dark stairwell”. He was using very poor tactics, including finger on the trigger. He got startled by something and fired unintentionally. Manslaughter is the appropriate charge.


3 posted on 02/12/2016 7:21:04 AM PST by DesertRhino ("I want those feeble minded asses overthrown,,,")
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To: DoodleDawg
Liang said he drew his pistol as he and his partner patrolled the darkened 8th floor stairwell of the Louis H. Pink Houses in Brooklyn. He said he flinched when he was startled by a noise, which he said caused the gun to fire.

Jeff Cooper's Four Rules of Gun Handling:

RULE 1: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED

RULE 2: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO DESTROY

RULE 3: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER TIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET

RULE 4: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET

Cop violated rules 2, 3, and 4. If his finger had not been on the trigger, then a "flinch" would not have resulted in the gun firing.

4 posted on 02/12/2016 7:21:34 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: circlecity

I think this is bs. Policing in New York is so tough. This verdict basically says that it is better that the officer get himself killed so as not to offend anyone. The NY officers are going to be real motivated to help the public with this kind of crap.


5 posted on 02/12/2016 7:21:48 AM PST by GilGil
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To: circlecity

Bingo.


6 posted on 02/12/2016 7:25:40 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (Why do we give our hearts to the past? And why must we grow up so fast?)
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To: GilGil
This verdict basically says that it is better that the officer get himself killed so as not to offend anyone.

How do you suppose the officer would have managed to get himself killed by an unarmed man?

He screwed up by ignoring several rules of firearm safety handling.

7 posted on 02/12/2016 7:28:06 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (Why do we give our hearts to the past? And why must we grow up so fast?)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts; GilGil

This occured shortly after a couple of other officers had been killed in a nearby building.

He was scared and poorly trained.


8 posted on 02/12/2016 7:32:53 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

I assume he was in a very poorly lit hallway. That is what the reports said. As hard as it is to be an officer in New York this verdict is not good at all.


9 posted on 02/12/2016 7:34:38 AM PST by GilGil
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To: driftdiver

I defy any of the jurors to be in a similar situation. They could not hold a candle to this officer.


10 posted on 02/12/2016 7:36:59 AM PST by GilGil
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To: GilGil
This verdict basically says that it is better that the officer get himself killed so as not to offend anyone.

You don't think that it's appropriate that there be some sort of threat to the safety of the police officer or bystanders before shooting someone?

11 posted on 02/12/2016 7:37:45 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: GilGil
As hard as it is to be an officer in New York this verdict is not good at all.

It's harder to be unarmed civilians apparently.

12 posted on 02/12/2016 7:39:02 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: GilGil
I defy any of the jurors to be in a similar situation.

If any of the jurors, or even if you, were in a similar situation and you did the same thing as this officer did then I would expect the same results. Charged, tried, convicted, jailed.

13 posted on 02/12/2016 7:41:59 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: GilGil

he didn’t offend someone, he killed an innocent man. What should have been the judicial outcome. a medal?


14 posted on 02/12/2016 7:46:46 AM PST by muir_redwoods (Freedom isn't free, liberty isn't liberal and you'll never find anything Right on the Left)
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To: GilGil

“I defy any of the jurors to be in a similar situation. They could not hold a candle to this officer.”

I don’t know the jurors so I can’t make that judgement.

We do know the officer didn’t do all that well.


15 posted on 02/12/2016 7:47:27 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: DoodleDawg

This was a bad one, yes. Vertical patrols of (usually) darkened stairwells in housing projects are among the most dangerous assignments for NYPD officers, but there was no justification for this shooting or for the officer conducting the patrol to do so with his finger on the trigger.

It was reckless, and that recklessness resulted in a death - textbook case of 2nd degree manslaughter under NY law.


16 posted on 02/12/2016 7:48:20 AM PST by ojeffers
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To: GilGil
This verdict basically says that it is better that the officer get himself killed so as not to offend anyone.

BS. There was no risk to the officer's life or safety. This verdict says that an officer shouldn't handle his firearm in a reckless manner so as not to kill anyone unnecessarily.

17 posted on 02/12/2016 7:48:20 AM PST by ojeffers
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To: GilGil

“This verdict basically says that it is better that the officer get himself killed so as not to offend anyone.”

He did not offend someone, he KILLED someone. That is a slight difference.

Had he merely offended someone and was not following correct procedure he would have been at most sanctioned at work. But the killing part is sort of a big deal to most people.


18 posted on 02/12/2016 7:48:58 AM PST by JLS
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To: JLS

The bullet ricocheted off of the stairwell wall and struck Gurley, who was on the seventh floor. Gurley, who was unarmed, died from a wound in his chest.<<

It was not an aimed shot, nor was the gun pointed at the victim. An innocent person is dead, but a little more complicated than others on this thread make it.

DK


19 posted on 02/12/2016 8:08:00 AM PST by Dark Knight
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To: JLS

People are way too quick to crucify police. Having read the reports it seems like the officer was not in the best of circumstances.

Ok. He killed someone. I would not jail him unless there was an intention to kill the guy. It seems like it was more of an accident than intentional.

This will only make the officers like in Baltimore where crime is up hundreds of percent. The citizens are telling police that they will be crucified at any excuse and the police in kind are saying they will do the minimum to police and the citizens can kill each other.

I don’t blame the police one bit.


20 posted on 02/12/2016 8:28:44 AM PST by GilGil
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