People in the Brooklyn neighborhood where Akai Gurley was killed reacted to the guilty verdict of the officer who shot him with both relief and surprise. NY1's Lori Chung filed the following report.
The guilty verdict against NYPD Officer Peter Liang was welcome news for many in and around the Pink Houses in East New York, an outcome that many wanted after Akai Gurley was fatally shot here more than a year ago.
"It's about time these officers start getting in trouble for harassing these young black men out here," said one person in East New York.
"I was just hoping that he was found guilty, so he was found guilty and that's the right thing," said another.
The rookie officer had his gun drawn while patrolling a darkened stairwell and said his gun went off by accident, killing Gurley with a single shot to the chest. But residents say Liang should face justice like anyone else.
"Hey, you have to face consequences for what he did," said one resident.
The lights in the stairwell have been fixed since the shooting, which sparked several protests here. Some saw the case as another deadly example of police brutality.
"I just don't understand, like, what's going on with these cops," said one resident. "They're supposed to be on our side. They're supposed to be protecting us"
"This should be a message for all cops, all people around. If you know what's going on right now the controversies, the stereotypes and such, I'd say keep yourself out of trouble," said another.
However, even some applauding the jury's decision say Liang is not solely to blame for Gurley's death.
"I feel it was the city's fault in the first place for having two rookies working in Pink Houses," said one resident.
As Gurley's family praised the decision as justice served, for some here who didn't know Gurley, it's a victory for the community as well.
"It gives us hope now. It gives us a little hope because we know that there's some justice in our lives," said one person in the community.
Despite the guilty verdict, some people NY1 spoke with remain skeptical about the legal system in cases like this. One man said he wonders whether Liang will actually spend any time behind bars.