Brooklyn , New York ( CNN ) A New York police officer was charged Wednesday with second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed Brooklyn man in November . Officer Peter Liang was arraigned Wednesday in Brooklyn Supreme Court for `` recklessly '' causing the death of Akai Gurley , according to court documents . In addition to the manslaughter charge , Liang faces one count of criminally negligent homicide , one count of second-degree assault , one count of reckless endangerment and two counts of official misconduct . He was released without bail . If Liang were convicted on the charge of second-degree manslaughter , he could face up to 15 years in prison . `` The defendant ignored his training '' when he used his firearm , lead prosecutor Marc Fliedner told the court . The defendant also did not try to help Gurley , instead retreating to a hallway and telling a fellow officer `` I 'm going to get fired , '' Fliedner said . The prosecution will prove Liang made a `` deliberate motion '' with his firearm , he added . CNN tried to get a comment after court from defense attorney Stephen Worth but was unsuccessful . Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson thanked Fliedner and others `` who worked so hard on this case so that the judicial process could be conducted fairly . '' Thompson also thanked NYPD officers for their assistance . It was important to `` recognize the courage and valor '' that many officers showed when they responded to the scene , he said . Several officers tried to stop Gurley 's bleeding . Prosecutors do n't believe Liang intentionally killed Gurley , the DA said , but he had his finger on the trigger and an innocent man was killed . Gurley , 28 , was `` a total innocent who just happened '' to run into Liang in a `` pitch black '' stairwell at the Louis H. Pink Houses in Brooklyn , New York Police Commissioner William Bratton told reporters the day after the killing . At the time , the NYPD said the fatal shot was an `` accidental discharge . '' Liang , with less than 18 months on the job and on probationary status , had been placed on modified assignment and stripped of his gun and badge pending an investigation . `` This officer deserves the same due process afforded to anyone involved in the accidental death of another , '' Patrick Lynch , head of the police union , said in a Tuesday statement . `` The fact that he was assigned to patrol one of the most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident . '' Liang and his partner were part of a `` violence reduction overtime detail '' at the Pink Houses , where a spate of serious crimes have been reported in recent months , including two robberies and four assaults , Bratton told reporters after the shooting . The officers had taken an elevator to the building 's top floor to check on the roof and were taking the stairs down from the 8th floor , Bratton said , when the officer fired his weapon . There were no lights in the stairwell leading up to the roof . Liang drew a flashlight and his weapon `` for safety reasons , '' the police commissioner said . The other officer did not draw his gun . In the darkened stairwell , Liang 's gun discharged about the same time that Gurley , the father of a 2-year-old child , and his girlfriend were entering the seventh-floor landing , Bratton said . Shot once in the chest , Gurley died at a hospital . The lights on the seventh and eighth floors were not working , Bratton said . The police commissioner said the decision on when to draw a weapon is the discretion of officers `` based on what they are encountering or believe they may encounter . So there is not a specific prohibition against taking a firearm out . But again , as in all cases , an officer would have to justify the circumstances that required him to or resulted in unholstering his firearm . '' The shooting also is being investigated by police internal affairs . Gurley 's shooting occurred at a time of strained police-community relations after the July death of Eric Garner at the hands of police on Staten Island . The chokehold death of the unarmed 43-year-old man sparked street protests , a review of police procedures and calls for a federal civil rights investigation . A grand jury declined to prosecute the officer . A few weeks after Garner 's death , the police shooting in Ferguson , Missouri , of unarmed teenager Michael Brown thrust into the forefront the issue of law enforcement 's use of deadly force . A grand jury declined to prosecute Officer Darren Wilson , a decision that led to national demonstrations .
Akai Gurley was taking the unlit stairs at a housing complex when he shot in the chest . Prosecutors charged the officer involved with second-degree manslaughter , other counts . Comment: