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Ex-Officer Convicted of Killing Unarmed Brooklyn Man Vows to Appeal

By William Mathis | February 12, 2016 5:14pm | Updated on February 14, 2016 7:22pm
 Lawyers for Peter Liang, Robert Brown (left) and Rae Koshetz (center), will appeal Liang's manslaughter conviction, they said in a press conference on Friday Feb. 12, 2016.
Lawyers for Peter Liang, Robert Brown (left) and Rae Koshetz (center), will appeal Liang's manslaughter conviction, they said in a press conference on Friday Feb. 12, 2016.
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DNAinfo/William Mathis

CHINATOWN — Lawyers for Peter Liang, the former NYPD officer convicted of manslaughter for killing an unarmed man in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project, vowed to appeal the verdict Friday afternoon.

“We plan to first make a motion in order to set aside the verdict, then appeal,” said Robert Brown, Liang’s lawyer, at the Lin Sing Association on Mott Street in Chinatown.

Even if the motion is not granted and the appeal does not go through, Liang still may not face any jail time.

“We plan on asking the judge to sentence Peter to probation,” Brown said.

A jury found Liang guilty Thursday of manslaughter in the second degree for the death of Akai Gurley, 28, on Nov. 20, 2104.

The charge carries a sentence of 5 to 15 years in prison. But under the law, the judge may also choose to give Liang probation for the crime.

“There is a provision of law that gives the judge the ability to sentence a person to probation in the interest of justice,” Brown said. “That is certainly applicable here.”

“We were absolutely shocked by this verdict,” said Rae Koshetz, Brown’s co-counsel. She and Brown said the verdict is unprecedented and will make all NYPD officers less safe.

Liang’s distraught mother, Fenny Liang, couldn't understand how the jury convicted her son.

“I still feel upset, so really upset,” the mother, who was translated from Chinese by a family friend, said. “He did the best he could under those circumstances.”

Liang's lawyer said his client was still too upset to make a statement to the press.

Shaun Landau, Liang’s partner on the night of the shooting, was fired from the police force Friday morning, according to a NYPD spokesman.

In addition to the manslaughter charge, Liang was found guilty of official misconduct for not giving CPR to the dying Gurley and delaying reporting the accidental discharge to supervisors.

Landau was given immunity from prosecution in the case after he testified against his partner before a grand jury.

Gurley’s family released a statement Friday morning, saying they were pleased with the outcome of the trial.

“The prosecutor, the jury and the judge brought the truth that Akai was somebody,” the family said in an email. “We have come one step closer in getting justice for Akai, and we know he will be proud that we have taken a stand for him in holding Peter Liang accountable.”

They said the conviction of Liang was a win for all the families of those killed by police officers.