Nature of charges against Peter Liang, who claimed to have fired his gun accidentally in Brooklyn stairwell, as yet unclear, says lawyer of Gurley’s partner

An NYPD officer who shot and killed Akai Gurley, an unarmed 28-year-old black man, in Brooklyn last year has been indicted, according to a lawyer involved in the case.

Scott Rynecki, who is representing Gurley’s partner Kimberly Ballinger, told the Guardian that NYPD officer Peter Liang will be arraigned in court at 2pm on Wednesday.

The nature of the charges is unclear at present, and a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn district attorney’s office would not comment on the matter.

Gurley was shot dead in November as he descended the darkened stairwell of a block in the Louis Pink Houses project in East New York. Police maintain that Liang fired accidentally. But community members and local politicians have asked why the officer was patrolling the project with his gun unholstered .

Local news channel NY1 quoted anonymous law enforcement officials confirming the indictment .

The New York City police commissioner, Bill Bratton, said on the day after Gurley’s death that Liang’s firearm discharged accidentally during a patrol of the Louis Pink Houses project in East New York.

Reports suggested that Liang had contacted his police union straight after the shooting instead of radioing for medical assistance.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2015