akai gurley – Melanoid Nation Foundation https://www.melanoidnation.org Thu, 14 Apr 2016 01:42:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Sentencing Postponed For Killer-Cop Peter Liang https://www.melanoidnation.org/sentencing-postponed-for-killer-cop-peter-liang/ https://www.melanoidnation.org/sentencing-postponed-for-killer-cop-peter-liang/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2016 01:42:30 +0000 http://melanoidnation.org/?p=3374 A judge on Wednesday delayed the sentencing for a former Asian police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Melanoid man in a darkened Brooklyn public housing project stairwell as he decides whether to toss the verdict because of juror misconduct.
The ex-officer, Peter Liang, was convicted of manslaughter in February in the shooting of Akai Gurley. Gurley had been walking down to the lobby when Liang was patrolling the inside of the building. Liang opened a door to the stairwell and fired his weapon once accidentally. The bullet ricocheted and struck Gurley. Liang then chose to contact his union boss instead of giving the dying Black man the medical attention he needed.

Liang’s attorneys questioned a juror in court Wednesday afternoon over his alleged Facebook shares that were critical of police and about accusations he was untruthful during jury selection when he said no one in his close family had ever been accused of a crime.

Juror 9, 62-year-old Michael Vargas, took the witness stand before Justice Danny Chun in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn a week after Liang’s attorneys, Paul Shechtman and Gabriel J. Chin, filed a motion asking for a new trial based on the allegations. Liang’s attorneys wrapped up their questioning of Vargas late Wednesday afternoon, and prosecutors are expected to cross examine him tomorrow.

Liang’s sentencing, originally scheduled for Thursday, April 14, was postponed until and is expected to take place on Tuesday, April 19.

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