Courtesy Akisha Pringle
One day after an NYPD officer was found guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Akai Gurley, an unarmed black man, the victim’s family issued an emotional statement and list of demands to the police department.
Peter Liang, who was officially dismissed Thursday after his conviction, fired a single bullet in a dark Brooklyn housing development stairwell that struck a wall, ricocheted, and tore through the left side of Gurley’s chest in November 2014.
The jury deliberated for more than 17 hours. Liang faces up to 15 years in prison when sentenced. He testified in his own defense, saying he fired accidentally in the dark stairwell after hearing a sound.
“The prosecutor, the jury and the judge brought the truth that Akai was somebody. We have come one step closer in getting justice for Akai,” the family said in the statement. “Nobody deserved to die like Akai did, and no verdict in this world can heal our heartache or pain in losing Akai.”
“We loved Akai. He was a good man, had a good heart and it hurts so bad to know he is gone. He was not just a statistic. He was more than a hashtag, and more than an example of police brutality. Akai was our father, partner, boyfriend, son, nephew, cousin and our friend,” the family said.
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They also issued a list of three demands:
First, that the NYPD fire Liang’s partner the night of the shooting, Shaun Landau, “with no financial payout or pension.” Landau testified for the prosecution under an immunity deal.
Second that the “NYPD permanently end all vertical patrols.” Liang was performing a vertical patrol the night of the shooting — where officers ascend to the top of a public housing development, and then walk down the stairs and check each floor.
Third, that the city “divert the funds that paid for an additional 1,400 NYPD officers in 2016 and invest in critical resources into real affordable housing for the working-class, community centers, and after-school programs.”
A rally for Gurley is planned for Friday at 5 p.m. outside police headquarters in downtown Manhattan. Liang’s attorney has scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m.
Gurley’s name was synonymous around the nation with other unarmed black people who were killed by police officers — such as Ramarley Graham and Eric Garner — a point the family referenced in their statement.
“Too many parents, grandparents, partners, children and siblings in America know this pain that we have come to know,” the family said. “There are many more police officers who need to be held accountable, and we hope this case will send a message to all NYPD officers and police departments around the country and around the world that they can’t kill and get away with it anymore.”
“The people being brutalized and killed are Black, Latino, working class, LGBTQ, homeless, immigrant, Muslim, Arab, South Asian and enough is enough. We want justice beyond the courtroom,” they said.
“To all officers who have killed, to all police unions and attorneys who protect those officers, to all prosecutors who have failed to indict those officers, to all elected officials who have ignored this crisis: our grief, our demands for justice will not end. We will continue to fight for justice beyond this courtroom,” the family said.
LINK: Read Full Trial Coverage Here
LINK: NYPD Officer Found Guilty In Shooting Death Of Akai Gurley
LINK: The Life And death of Akai Gurley
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/20QhUHo
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