A rookie police officer who allegedly accidentally killed an armed black man in a darkened New York stairwell has been charged over the killing.
Asian-American officer Peter Liang was indicted by a grand jury following the shooting death of 28-year-old Akai Gurley at a Brooklyn housing complex in November, according to Scott Rynecki, an attorney representing Gurley's family.
It wasn't clear what charges the grand jury considered - it could be a misdemeanour official misconduct or manslaughter, a felony. He was expected in court yesterday afternoon.
The case was closely watched following the mass protests and calls for reform of the grand jury system nationwide after a grand jury in the New York City borough of Staten Island refused to indict a white police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, a black man, and a Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict a white officer in the death of Michael Brown, a black 18-year-old.
Gurley was black.
Patrick J. Lynch, head of Liang's union, said the officer, who has less than two years on the job, deserves due process. "The fact that he was assigned to patrol one of the most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident," Lynch said.