The city police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man at a Brooklyn housing complex last November was arraigned on criminal charges Wednesday afternoon.

Rookie Officer Peter Liang has said the shooting of Akai Gurley was accidental. 

Liang faces charges of second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault and official misconduct.

Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson said Liang had been holding a flashlight in one hand, his gun in the other, and that when he went to open a door, his gun went off, ricocheted off a wall and hit Gurley.

“It is important to note that there are no winners here. An innocent man’s life has been taken and a young police officer who joined the police force to serve and protect the people of this great city now stands accused of taking that life,” Thompson said. “We don’t believe that Officer Liang intended to kill Mr. Gurley, but he had his finger on the trigger and he fired the gun.”

Thompson added that evidence showed that Liang and his partner spent four minutes arguing following the incident, but that there was no evidence to show that Liang contacted his union representative before reporting the shooting.

“Obviously we are extremely disappointed that this indictment came down. He was hoping for a better, fairer, longer, more in-depth grand jury presentation than took place. I’ve seen grand larceny presentations take longer than this. This was a summary grand jury. It was clear that there was an intent to get an indictment all along and lo and behold, there’s an indictment,” said Liang’s defense attorney, Stephen Worth.

Members of Gurley’s family say they are glad Liang has been arraigned, but that they won’t be satisfied until there is a conviction.

“We have a long road to go. This is only the beginning. Justice for Akai Gurley. Justice for every black and brown lives that have been murdered before Akai Gurley and after Akai Gurley,” said Hertencia Peterson, Gurley’s aunt.

Some took issue with the fact that Liang was not in handcuffs during his court appearance and that he has been released on his own recognizance.

At a news conference at the National Action Network following the arraignment, city officials and activists emphasized the importance of continuing the conversation about police-community relations.

”This conversation has to continue all the time. So we can never stop talking about how to make policing better, how to change it with the times that we’re in,” said City Councilman Jumaane Williams.

Liang and his partner remain on modified assignment in the meantime.