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NYPD Fires Partner Of Officer Who Killed Akai Gurley
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 13, 2016
Modified Feb 13, 2016
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 13, 2016
Modified Feb 13, 2016
Share
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The NYPD fired the partner of Peter Liang immediately after the officer was convicted of shooting and killing an innocent man in a Brooklyn housing project in 2014.
Shaun Landau was with Liang on the night 28-year-old Akai Gurley was shot to death in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project. Landau, who was on the force for 18 months before Gurley was shot, testified during Liang's trial that Liang radioed his superiors immediately after the shooting, contradicting his earlier claim (and evidence) that Liang had taken 20 minutes to contact superiors. Evidence also showed that Landau also did not immediately contact authorities, and in fact argued with Liang over who should call. Landau was not criminally charged, but he was a probationary officer at the time of the shooting and was therefore subject to at-will firing. Liang was also fired after Thursday night's conviction.
Jurors told reporters that they did not believe Liang's testimony, in which he claimed his weapon went off accidentally after he was jostled. All 12 jurors were given the opportunity to hold Liang's gun and pull the trigger to test the likelihood it could go off. “We knew his testimony wasn’t completely true,” juror Carlton Screen told the Post, noted that it was very difficult to pull the trigger. “I don’t think we hit it like that, that he was an intentional liar. But we all agreed he wasn’t being truthful.”
Liang, who was found guilty of manslaughter and official misconduct charges, will be sentenced on April 14th. He could face up to 15 years in prison, or no prison time at all—Gurley's family says justice won't fully be served until Liang goes to prison. They are also calling for the court to charge Landau. "Though Liang has been found guilty, we want to make sure that his sentencing is heavy and that there is no appeal,” the family said in a statement. “We will continue to struggle and ensure that Peter Liang and Shaun Landau are held accountable.”
Liang's conviction has drawn criticism from the Asian-American community, which claims Liang was targeted for being Chinese-American. “In the wake of unfortunately so many deaths of unarmed black men, some cops gotta hang,” John C. Liu, the former New York City comptroller who ran for mayor in 2013, told the Times. “The sentiment in the Asian community is: It’s easier to hang an Asian, because Asians, they don’t speak up.”
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Akai Gurley
Peter Liang
shaun landau
Rebecca Fishbein
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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