A rookie police officer shot and killed an unarmed 28-year-old man in an unlit stairwell of a housing project in what New York 's top cop said Friday was `` a very unfortunate tragedy ... involving an accidental discharge . '' The victim , identified as Akai Gurley , was `` a total innocent who just happened '' to run into Officer Peter Liang in a `` pitch black '' stairwell at the Louis H. Pink Houses in Brooklyn late Thursday , New York Police Commissioner William Bratton told reporters . Shot once in the chest , Gurley died at a hospital later . Liang , with less than 18 months on the job and on probationary status , has been placed on modified assignment and stripped of his gun and badge pending an investigation . `` A life was lost and my heart goes out to the family of the young man , '' Mayor Bill de Blasio said . `` It does appear to have been an accident . '' The shooting comes amid 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 will decide whether to bring charges against the officer . A few weeks later , 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 decision on whether to charge Officer Darren Wilson is expected soon . `` What happened in Ferguson is different than what happened on Staten Island is different than what happened in Brooklyn , '' de Blasio said . `` Each of them has their own dynamic . '' Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson , in a statement , said the shooting was `` deeply troubling and warrants an immediate , fair and thorough investigation . '' `` Many questions must be answered , including whether , as reported , the lights in the hallway were out for a number of days , and how this tragedy actually occurred , '' Thompson said . 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 said . 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 discharged the 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 . 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 . `` This is a tragic situation , '' de Blasio said . `` It does appear to have been a very tragic accident . ''
William Bratton , late Thursday , was shot after entering a stairwell in Staten Island with girlfriend . A rookie police officer `` accidentally discharged '' his weapon , police say . Police Commissioner Ken Thompson calls victim a `` total innocent '' Brooklyn D.A . William Bratton says shooting is `` deeply troubling ''