Justice seems to be (beginning) to be served as Rookie NYPD Officer Indicted in Brooklyn Staircase Shooting by a grand jury for the tragic November incident which took the innocent life of 28 year old Akai Gurley.
The Brooklyn District Attorney so far has no comment on the grand jury proceedings nor has the official charge been released to the public yet, however the Rookie NYPD Officer Indicted in Brooklyn Staircase Shooting–Officer Peter Liang is expected to ‘surrender’ tomorrow. Officer Liang will be doing his part to atone for killing of Akai Gurley, who was unarmed when he was shot in a dark staircase of the Pink Houses complex of East New York.
While Gurley’s family will address the public officially tomorrow, family attorney Scott Rynecki quotes on their behalf, “this is the first step in a fight for justice in this wrongful and reckless shooting of an innocent man.” While Rookie NYPD Officer Indicted in Brooklyn Staircase Shooting may feel a small victory to some, especially in the effort of #BlackLivesMatter, other factors are in consideration for the case. One one hand, Patrolmen Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch (notorious for his bashing and divisive language to Mayor de Blasio and protestors while in support of NYPD police) offers this going into the case:
“The fact the he was assigned to patrol one most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident.”
…but you’ll have to do better than that (or maybe not if any of the past non-indictments give us clues on how this can go). Beyond any person-to-person issues of Gurley and the Rookie NYPD Officer Indicted in Brooklyn Staircase Shooting, multiple sources have been reporting on the issue of the darkened “pitch black” staircase–which the building knew was a problem for months and had yet to fix. NYPD Police Commissioner has called Gurley a “total innocent,” though Officer Liang and his partner were conducting floor-by-floor sweeps of the building when Liang pulled out his weapon and flashlight for “safety reasons.” (His partner kept his holstered).
Multiple protests took to the streets in the wake of what the Commissioner calls an “accidental death.” Mayor Bill de Blasio has urged “everyone to respect the judicial process as it unfolds.” Check the vids for more and stay tuned for tomorrow’s press conferences.
