NEW YORK – The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation has opened an investigation into the death of Jamie Liang, the 24-year-old woman who was allegedly shot to death by an off-duty New York police officer who killed her. caught with his ex-girlfriend.
The officer, Yvonne Wu, 31, was charged with murdering Liang and attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend, who was shot in the torso on Wednesday night. The 23-year-old ex-girlfriend remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday night.
The New York Attorney General’s office said Friday that preliminary information suggests the deadly shooting may have been the result of a personal or domestic incident unconnected to law enforcement duties for Wu, whose shift was at midnight. and he showed up for the last time for work on Tuesday night. He was supposed to be back on Wednesday.
It is unclear if the weapon allegedly used to kill Liang was Wu’s service weapon.
In accordance with state law, the attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) reviews every incident in which a police officer or law enforcement officer, including a correctional officer, may have caused the death of a person by a act or omission. That law applies whether the officer was on duty or off duty at the time of the incident.
If OSI’s review finds that an officer caused the death of another person, the office proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident. That is in addition to any criminal case that may be developed against the accused officer. In this case, the latter is already ongoing, although a first court date for Wu was not immediately clear.
There was also no information about a possible lawyer for Wu.
The crimes the 31-year-old police are charged with were described as “coming out of nowhere” by a senior NYPD official who told NBC earlier this week that the officer’s annual evaluations exceeded expectations. There had been no previous signs of trouble involving her until Wednesday’s shooting, the official said.
Officers who responded to 911 calls at the ex-girlfriend’s 19th Avenue home found Wu outside. His ex-girlfriend had been shot in the bedroom and Liang was found shot in the chest in the living room. She was pronounced dead in a hospital.
Authorities say Wu confessed at the scene; the researchers described her as calm and communicative with the information. Neighbors who saw her speak to police described Wu as surprisingly “expressionless, non-anxious” as she spoke after the shooting.
Liang was also a dental student with a bright future, friends said Thursday. His family had recently moved to a Staten Island neighborhood. Family members refused to immediately speak about the case.
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