Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said his office will appeal the judge's decision to reduce the manslaughter conviction of former New York City police officer Peter Liang to criminally negligent homicide in the shooting death of Akai Gurley.

State Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sentenced Liang, 28, to five years of probation and 800 hours of community service on Tuesday after taking the rare step of setting aside the jury's verdict and reducing the conviction. Thompson had recommended last month that Liang not get jail time for the shooting, and that he be given five years' probation with six months of home confinement and 500 hours of community service.

"While our sentencing recommendation was fair under the unique circumstances of this case, we respectfully disagree with the judge's decision to reduce the jury's verdict and will fight to reverse it on appeal," he said Tuesday.

Liang was convicted in the fatal shooting of Gurley, who was unarmed, in the stairwell of a Brooklyn public housing project in 2014. He was on a routine vertical patrol, and he said he accidentally discharged his gun in the darkened stairwell as he opened the door. The bullet ricocheted and struck Gurley on a lower floor.

"My office vigorously prosecuted Peter Liang for manslaughter because the evidence established that his conduct was criminal and the rule of law demanded that he be held accountable for his actions in taking Akai Gurley's life," Thompson said in a statement after Liang was sentenced.

"The jury, the voice of the Brooklyn community, agreed and returned the verdict of guilty against Mr. Liang, who is now a convicted felon, forfeited his career as a police officer and must now always live with the fact that he recklessly caused Mr. Gurley's death."

Liang's attorney may also seek to have the conviction thrown out completely, according to a Chinese community leader who is close to the Liang family.

"We are glad about the judge's decision, but we still stand behind the fact that this is an accident, not a crime," said John Chan, chairman of Brooklyn Asian Communities Empowerment, which has raised more than $300,000 for Liang's legal fees. "We support him to appeal the conviction."

Liang still faces two civil lawsuits from Kimberly Ballinger, Gurley's domestic partner, and Melissa Butler, who was with Gurley in the stairwell. The women separately sued Liang, his partner at the scene and New York City for Gurley's death. Butler is seeking more than $200,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.

hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com