Mr. Gurley was killed on November 20, 2014, by a ricocheting bullet fired by Mr. Liang, who was on a night patrol in a dark stairwell in the Louis H. Pink Houses in the East New York neighborhood.
Advertisement
Mr Liang, 28, was convicted of manslaughter in February of this year and fired by the New York Police Department.
According to reports, the New York City Mayor’s office will pay $4.1 million and the remainder $400,000 will be paid by New York City Housing Authority in charge of public housing in the city.
Former police officer Peter Liang will pay $25,000 out of pocket, The New York Daily News reports.
The wrongful death suit filed by Kimberly Ballinger, Gurley’s partner and the mother of his young daughter Akaila, blamed poor training for Liang’s actions, and also faulted NYCHA for failing to maintain the stairwell’s lighting.
All of the money from the settlement will go to Gurley’s 4-year-old daughter when she turns 18. Ballinger said in an interview with New York’s PIX11 News after the sentence was announced, “That apology didn’t mean nothing”.
Peter Liang, the rookie cop who fired the shot, had his Glock G19 out of the holster and his finger on the trigger when doing a vertical patrol up the darkened stairwell of the apartment building. Liang and his partner, Shaun Landau, were criticized for delaying calls to emergency services and instead calling their union representative in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The bullet hit a wall before striking Gurley, who was unarmed. “I’m pleased with the outcome”.
Landau was also kicked off the force for his role in the deadly shooting.
The settlement was reached on Monday afternoon in the Brooklyn Supreme Court.
The parties apparently agreed to the terms Monday, after almost two months of negotiation, reports the New York Times.
The case became a flashpoint for police accountability.
Advertisement
Liang has four months to cough up the funds and will not use the money raised by his supporters through a defunct GoFundMe campaign, Brown said.
