A grand jury will examine the shooting death of an unarmed man by a rookie police officer in a darkened public housing stairwell, the Brooklyn district attorney said Friday, hours before a memorial for the slain man.
The developments in the case surrounding Akai Gurley's death came two days after a grand jury on Staten Island decided criminal charges weren't warranted against a different police officer in the chokehold death of another unarmed man, Eric Garner. The Garner case — coming on the heels of a Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson — has sparked debate around the country about the grand jury process.
Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson said he would convene a grand jury "because it is important to get to the bottom of what happened."
Gurley, 28, and his girlfriend opened a door to a pitch-dark stairway Nov. 20 as a rookie officer, patrolling by flashlight with his gun drawn, was descending the stairs one floor up, police said. City police often make roof-down patrols of public housing stairwells, as some are havens for crime.
Police Commissioner William Bratton said the shooting was an apparent accident that claimed a "totally innocent" life. The medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide.
The Rev. Al Sharpton initially planned to speak at Gurley's service Friday but later said he would pay his respects but not speak.
Gurley's funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
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