Killer Cop Charged

[Dari]

If this was a civilian, it would've taken hours, not months.

link

Akai Gurley death: Policeman charged over fatal shooting


A police officer has been charged over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in a block of flats in New York City, according to a lawyer in the case.

Scott Rynecki told the Associated Press that Officer Peter Liang had been charged by a grand jury in the death of Akai Gurley, a black 28-year-old.

When grand juries declined to charge officers over the deaths of other black men, there were nationwide protests.

After Mr Gurley's death in November, police said it was an accident.

Mr Rynecki is the lawyer for Mr Gurley's partner.

She and Mr Gurley opened the door into the dark stairwell when the police officer was patrolling the flats on 20 November.

Police say Mr Liang fired without a word and apparently by accident.

There has been no official announcement about the grand jury's decision.

Unnamed officials involved in the case told US media on Tuesday there would be charges but it is not clear what they will be.

Patrick Lynch, head of Mr Liang's police union, said he deserves due process.

"The fact that he was assigned to patrol one of the most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident," he said.

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said: "It has been reported that a Brooklyn grand jury has acted in this case.

"No matter the specific charges, this case is an unspeakable tragedy for the Gurley family. We urge everyone to respect the judicial process as it unfolds."

 

[shabby]

Big deal... lets wait till the verdict and sentencing. Slap on the wrist and office work most likely.

 

[master_shake_]

Paid leave and desk duty for the next 12 months.

 

[Dari]

Big deal... lets wait till the verdict and sentencing. Slap on the wrist and office work most likely.

Paid leave and desk duty for the next 12 months.

It's progress. Also, outside of shooting a baby in a stroller I can't see a case that's more cut-n-dry than this one. The cop, scared, killed an innocent man taking the stairs. If Officer Liang gets off, there should be riots. That'll show that there really is no justice in the world.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Just a few bad apples....

 

[master_shake_]

It's progress. Also, outside of shooting a baby in a stroller I can't see a case that's more cut-n-dry than this one. The cop, scared, killed an innocent man taking the stairs. If Officer Liang gets off, there should be riots. That'll show that there really is no justice in the world.

i don't know...

he's an asian cop. might seem racist.

 

[Subyman]

I like what the union leader said to justify the shooting:

"The fact that he was assigned to patrol one of the most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident," he said.

Guess if you are a cop in a black neighborhood then anything that moves is worthy of a gun shot. "He's coming right at me."

 

[schmuckley]

Idk..What about the cop that shot the old black veteran after kicking his door in?
That was wrong.

 

[oobydoobydoo]

Color me surprised. I guess we have to start somewhere... Cop being actually charged with a crime months after murdering someone in cold blood is a start.


I read somewhere that what actually happened here was the officer was holding the gun with the same hand he was turning doorknobs with and somehow fumbled the gun into blasting this guy. That is a moderately believable story, which is all this cop needs to get off with a 6 month suspended sentence and probation. They will work to keep him from getting a felony, so he can go be a cop again somewhere where they don't know what he did.

 

[Dari]

Color me surprised. I guess we have to start somewhere... Cop being actually charged with a crime months after murdering someone in cold blood is a start.


I read somewhere that what actually happened here was the officer was holding the gun with the same hand he was turning doorknobs with and somehow fumbled the gun into blasting this guy. That is a moderately believable story, which is all this cop needs to get off with a 6 month suspended sentence and probation. They will work to keep him from getting a felony, so he can go be a cop again somewhere where they don't know what he did.

Doubt it'll play that way. Too much social and political pressure. The person nominated by Obama to replace Holder at the DoJ is the DA here. And she's black. No way will she be happy with 6 months for killing an innocent man.

 

[Brainonska511]

Doubt it'll play that way. Too much social and political pressure. The person nominated by Obama to replace Holder at the DoJ is the DA here. And she's black. No way will she be happy with 6 months for killing an innocent man.

NYC district attorneys don't seem to have much problem ignoring blatant crimes (slaps on the wrist for stuff at Rikers, other police abuses, people getting run over by cars caught on video...). What's one more?

As for the AG nominee, she may not be happy if he gets a slap on the wrist, but Lynch is the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York - she'd have to press for federal charges if she felt the punishment, should it be doled out, is insufficient. The current grand jury decision and coming prosecution is a city affair.
----
The police complain about their public support being undercut, but they're doing it to themselves. The continued abuses and then closing ranks with the DA around bad apples just sows the seeds of public mistrust.

 

[Fern]

If this was a civilian, it would've taken hours, not months.

Civilians don't have unions with union rules protecting them.

Police are authorized to use firearms in their jobs and have procedures to follow. You shouldn't, or can't, indict a cop for following procedure. That must be investigated before they can move on to indictment etc. I have no problem with that.

And it still sounds like the shooting was an accident.

Fern

 

[JEDIYoda]

And it still sounds like the shooting was an accident.

accident or not...head will roll......sad but true!! People ae fed up with the "few bad apples"....

 

[Fern]

accident or not...head will roll......sad but true!! People ae fed up with the "few bad apples"....

He seems less a "bad Apple" and more a 'Barney Fife'.

I also think this reflects badly on police training and policy. Newbies probably shouldn't assigned such patrols.

Fern

 

[Pipeline 1010]

Civilians don't have unions with union rules protecting them.

Police are authorized to use firearms in their jobs and have procedures to follow. You shouldn't, or can't, indict a cop for following procedure. That must be investigated before they can move on to indictment etc. I have no problem with that.

And it still sounds like the shooting was an accident.

Fern

Was this cop following procedure when he failed to render aid to the man he just shot and instead was busy communicating with his union attorney?

 

[Subyman]

Accident should still be manslaughter. A normal civilian may be able to get out of an accidental homicide, but an officer who is trained and paid tax money to carry a firearm should be held to a higher standard if they misfire their gun and kill an American.

 

[werepossum]

Accident should still be manslaughter. A normal civilian may be able to get out of an accidental homicide, but an officer who is trained and paid tax money to carry a firearm should be held to a higher standard if they misfire their gun and kill an American.

Sounds reasonable.

 

[Dari]

Civilians don't have unions with union rules protecting them.

Police are authorized to use firearms in their jobs and have procedures to follow. You shouldn't, or can't, indict a cop for following procedure. That must be investigated before they can move on to indictment etc. I have no problem with that.

And it still sounds like the shooting was an accident.

Fern

You don't take your gun out and mistake it for a flashlight. Why take your gun out if you're patrolling and the stairwell happens to be dark? Was there an emergency situation? Also, his partner did not have his gun out. Lessons have to be learned and Officer Liang would be a good place to start.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

lol theyll throw a black or asian cop under the bus (this guy is gonna be the punching bag for all the white cop misconduct thats gone on in ny, and when hes convicted everyone is gonna use him as the example of how the system brought a cop to justice) but if he were white, the union and the police brass would be out there tryna save his axe. instead the commisioner already admitted that he killed a totally innocent person and hasnt made the slightest attempt to defend his actions, none of the usual "he was afraid for his life", "the suspect made a threatening gesture", "he was following his training" etc...

 

[OBLAMA2009]

You don't take your gun out and mistake it for a flashlight. Why take your gun out if you're patrolling and the stairwell happens to be dark? Was there an emergency situation? Also, his partner did not have his gun out. Lessons have to be learned and Officer Liang would be a good place to start.

why dont we start with a white cop, since they commit 99% of the assaults/killings

 

[Londo_Jowo]

He's be charged with criminally negligent homicide (manslaughter) and assault.

http://news.yahoo.com/nypd-officer-due-court-stairwell-shooting-064402330.html

Officer Peter Liang appeared briefly in a Brooklyn courtroom as the charges, which also include criminally negligent homicide and assault, were unsealed in the death of 28-year-old Akai Gurley. Liang's attorney, Stephen Worth, maintained the shooting was an accident. The officer was released without bail.

Based on the following it appears that Gurley was struck by a ricocheting round vs intentionally being shot.

The stairwell was completely dark and Liang had his gun drawn as they descended onto an eighth-floor landing, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, Gurley opened the door into the seventh-floor landing after giving up his wait for an elevator. Liang, gun in his left hand and a flashlight in his right, fired a shot, prosecutors said. The bullet ricocheted and struck Gurley in the chest, who made it down two flights of stairs before collapsing.

I suspect the officer will be convicted of manslaughter.

 

[Jerem]

You don't take your gun out and mistake it for a flashlight. Why take your gun out if you're patrolling and the stairwell happens to be dark? Was there an emergency situation? Also, his partner did not have his gun out. Lessons have to be learned and Officer Liang would be a good place to start.

Rail mounted flashlights are a very popular accessory for guns. They mount under the barrel and are extremely bright. If I was a LEO I would want one.

 

[corwin]

Rail mounted flashlights are a very popular accessory for guns. They mount under the barrel and are extremely bright. If I was a LEO I would want one.

Hell NO! You want cops pointing their gun at everything instead of just a light?

 

[Jerem]

Hell NO! You want cops pointing their gun at everything instead of just a light?

I never said anything of the sort. The poster I quoted couldn't figure out how a gun could be mistaken as a flashlight. I'm pointing out it was likely being used as a flashlight. I'm willing to bet it is against department policy. If I was a LEO and needed my gun at night the light serves a very useful purpose blinding the subject while lighting up the target area. No where did I say it was appropriate or a good idea to use your gun solely as a flashlight.

 

[corwin]

I never said anything of the sort. The poster I quoted couldn't figure out how a gun could be mistaken as a flashlight. I'm pointing out it was likely being used as a flashlight. I'm willing to bet it is against department policy. If I was a LEO and needed my gun at night the light serves a very useful purpose blinding the subject while lighting up the target area. No where did I say it was appropriate or a good idea to use your gun solely as a flashlight.

Still would be no "confusion" or "mistake" over what you pulled out, his gun was not being used as a flashlight