In New York City, a police officer has been found guilty of second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 28-year-old unarmed African American Akai Gurley. In 2014, NYPD officer Peter Liang shot Gurley in the darkened stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project. Gurley was walking down the stairs with his girlfriend because the elevator was broken. Following the shooting, Officer Peter Liang first texted his union representative before making a radio call for help. On Thursday, a Brooklyn jury found Liang guilty of second-degree manslaughter and official misconduct. He now faces up to 15 years in prison. He will be sentenced on April 14. After the verdict was announced, Akai Gurley’s mother, Sylvia Palmer, spoke out.

Sylvia Palmer: “I was very happy with the verdict. First, I want to thank God. And then I want to thank the District Attorney’s Office, the entire staff at the District Attorney’s Office. They did an awesome job presenting the evidence to the jury and the court. And I just want to say thank you, thank you to everyone, for all your support.”