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Justice has been served. Yesterday (Feb. 11), now former NYPD officer Peter Liang was found guilty of manslaughter for accidentally shooting and killing Akai Gurley in a dark stairwell of Pink Houses in New York City. 

Reports the New York Times:

A New York City police officer was convicted of manslaughter on Thursday for killing an unarmed man who was hit by a ricocheting bullet fired from the officer’s gun in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project in a case that highlighted concerns over police accountability.

The officer, Peter Liang, and his partner were conducting a so-called vertical patrol on Nov. 20, 2014, inside the Louis H. Pink Houses in the East New York neighborhood. At one point, Officer Liang opened a door into an unlighted stairwell and his gun went off. The bullet glanced off a wall and hit Akai Gurley, 28, who was walking down the stairs with his girlfriend, and pierced his heart.

Liang, 28, was also found guilty of official misconduct for not helping Gurley after realizing he had shot the unarmed man. He was immediately fired by the NYPD.

Liang is facing up to 15 years in prison on the manslaughter in the second degree charge and he is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14.

Only being on the force for about a year, Liang’s own partner testified against him. Guess the “blue wall of silence” only applies if you’re a white cop (Liang is Asian)?

Nevertheless, Gurley’s family and friends were in court, and hugged and cried cathartic tears upon hearing the verdict. Liang’s lawyers plan to appeal the verdict.

Photo: screen cap