New York City Officer Peter Liang now faces numerous charges including second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the shooting death of unarmed black man Akai Gurley in November. Liang has pleaded not guilty. The shooting happened in a dark stairwell of a public housing complex where Liang was on patrol. Liang’s lawyers say the incident was unintentional, claiming that the officer did not mean to discharge his weapon, noting that the bullet ricocheted off of a wall before hitting Gurley, who was on a level below Liang and his partner. Prosecutors say that instead of offering medical assistance to the man he shot, Liang argued with his partner about what they should do, complaining that he would be fired. The duo waited four minutes to call in the shooting while the victim laid bleeding in the stairwell …
