The mother of Akai Gurley expressed relief on Tuesday after a Brooklyn grand jury reportedly indicted the New York City police officer who fatally shot her son.
“We’re glad justice is on the way,” Sylvia Palmer told The Huffington Post in a statement.
Rookie NYPD Officer Peter Liang shot Gurley on Nov. 20 inside the stairwell of the Louis Pink Houses in East New York, Brooklyn.
On Tuesday, according to multiple reports, a grand jury voted to indict Liang on charges of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault and official misconduct.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement Tuesday that “no matter the specific charges, this case is an unspeakable tragedy for the Gurley family.”
“We urge everyone to respect the judicial process as it unfolds,” the mayor added.
Patrick Lynch, the president of the the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association — the city’s largest police union — said in a statement that Liang “deserves the same due process afforded to anyone involved in the accidental death of another.”
“The fact that he was assigned to patrol one most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident,” he said.
