Chinese-American officer Peter Liang was convicted of manslaughter for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man in a darkened public housing stairwell. (Photo : REUTERS)
Supporters of Peter Liang, the ex-police officer who was convicted of manslaughter for the fatal shooting of Akai Gurley, have set up a trust fund to help shoulder his legal fees, as well as assist with his living expenses, as reported by New York Daily News.
The trust fund was announced by Liang's lawyer Attorney Gary Park, who is offering his services for free. It was set up by retired NYPD detective Christine Leung, a personal friend of Liang.
No figures for the fund have been released.
Park said that the fund is officially sanctioned by Liang and his family.
The Asian-American ex-cop was convicted of manslaughter on Feb. 11 for fatally shooting Gurley.
On Nov. 20, 2014, Liang was patrolling Brooklyn's Pink Houses with his partner. When he opened the door into an unlit stairwell, his gun discharged while in his hand.
Liang claims the gun discharged accidentally.
The bullet from the gun ricocheted off a wall, hitting Gurley, who was walking down the stairs with his girlfriend.
Liang, who was a rookie with less than one year on the job, was also found to have been guilty of official misconduct for failing to give proper CPR to Gurley as he lay on the fifth-floor landing.
According to Park, Liang will not have access to the funds gathered for him.
"It's mostly for his legal defense," said Park.
However, Park added that donors would be able to specifically donate funds to cover Liang's living expenses.
"Let's say 80 to 90 percent goes to a legal defense fund, but he needs to pay rent. The trust affords an option for both," said Park.
Park added that Liang plans to appeal and has been encouraged by the support of the community.
"I think he's more calm. He was anxious about how we were going to manage all this," said Park. "He had no idea he'd have this much support. It's been overwhelming. He's inspired and he's got a positive attitude now."
Gurley was unarmed when he was shot and did not know that the police were headed into the stairwell.
Gurley left a 2-year-old daughter with his girlfriend.
