Jurors have begun deliberating the fate of a city cop charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed man in a Brooklyn public housing development. This after the prosecution and defense gave conflicting explanations of how and why Officer Peter Liang fired his gun. NY1's Dean Meminger has the story.
During his closing arguments, prosecutor Joe Alexis picked up officer Peter Liang’s gun, and gave a demonstration to the Jury.
"It's not until I take my finger out, I put my finger on the middle of the trigger, I press the trigger safety, and I pull the trigger that it goes off," Alexis said.
Both the prosecution and the defense focused on the 9-milimeter gun during their dramatic closing arguments.
The prosecutor said the death of Akai Gurley was the result of Liang mishandling his gun as he entered an unlit stairwell in the Pink Houses and heard a sound.
"This is recklessness," Alexis said. "The gun did not just go off. This officer took his finger off the frame of the gun, if it was ever there. He put the finger on the trigger, he pointed the gun directly in the direction of where the sound was. And he fired."
Liang's attorney Robert Brown held the gun in giving a different explanation, calling it a tragic accident.
"Liang testified his finger was definitely not on the trigger when he went through the door," Brown said. "He's saying he's coming to the door, he opens the door, he steps into the hallway. Suddenly, suddenly, there is a loud noise. And he turns to the left. And the gun goes off. Just like that."
The bullet ricocheted off a wall tearing into Akai Gurley's heart. The prosecution said Liang did not try to save Gurley's life with CPR after realizing Gurley was shot. Gurley’s girlfriend did attempt CPR. The defense says the cop did call for an ambulance.
"The medical examiner said it was as clear as day, no field CPR could have saved Mr. Gurley's life," Brown said. "None."
The prosecutor said any CPR training Liang had was more than what Gurley’s girlfriend received.
Now that this highly publicized case is in the hands of jurors, the judge has told them they alone most look at all of the facts without sympathy, prejudice or bias.
And he said they should not be swayed one way or the other by the public's feelings about the shooting.