The New York City police officer who shot and killed a man inside a Brooklyn public housing project last November has been indicted on charges of manslaughter, according to a source close to the investigation.
Akai Gurley walked into a darkened stairwell inside the Pink Houses, in East New York, Brooklyn, when police officer Peter Liang—who was on duty patroling the stairways—accidentally fired his gun, according to the police department. The shot landed in Gurley’s chest. Gurley was unarmed at the time.
Police said Liang had his weapon drawn and accidentally pulled the trigger as he was descending the stairs.
The Brooklyn district attorney Kenneth Thompson, who impaneled a grand jury to decide whether to bring criminal charges against officer Liang, did not comment on the case Tuesday, but his office announced that an arraignment has been scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Attorney Scott Rynecki, who is representing Gurley’s domestic partner Kimberly Ballinger in a civil lawsuit against the city, confirmed that the arraignment is for officer Liang.
Ballinger is suing the city for $50 million in damages for Gurley’s death.
