New York (CNN)— Officer Peter Liang, who shot and killed an unarmed
man in a New York housing project stairwell in 2014, was found guilty
of manslaughter and official misconduct on Thursday.

As the verdict was read, Liang dropped his head — his hands around
the back of his neck — as one of his attorneys comforted him.

The highly unusual conviction of a police officer for the shooting death
of a civilian means the rookie cop is automatically fired from the force.

Kimberly Ballinger, the partner of the victim, Akai Gurley, 28, dabbed
tears and later pumped her fist in the air.

“He was a son. He was a brother,” Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth
Thompson said after the verdict. “I told his mother, I’m sorry. There are
no winners. This is a tragedy all over.”