Friends and relatives of the innocent man shot dead by an NYPD rookie have revealed he was about to start a new job with the city authority as he prepared to offer his two-year-old daughter a stable future. Neighbors paid tribute to Akai Gurley, 28, telling reporters he was a well-mannered member of the apartment block that never caused trouble. Their words added to mounting pressure on the DA to launch a full investigation into the Thursday night shooting in Brooklyn, which has been described by NYPD authorities as 'an unfortunate tragedy'. 'He was about to start work': Friends have paid tribute to Akai Gurley who was shot dead as he was due to start work with the city authority. The DA has launched a full investigation into the shooting on Thursday . 'Well-mannered': Neighbors said he never caused any trouble and got along with the community . 'He was happy that he was about to go to work, he was relieved,' 28-year-old Dente Crosby, Gurley's friend, told the New York Times. 'He was getting it all together,' a woman who wished to remain anonymous told the paper. 'He was becoming an actor, he was going to school for modeling and he was going to work for the city.' However, aside from a meeting between Brooklyn officials and the DA's office, a full investigation has yet to be launched. Gurley was killed by Officer Peter Liang, whom police say fired his pistol by accident while he was patrolling a dimly-lit staircase at a notorious Brooklyn apartment block. Crowds gathered on Sunday to demand answers from the police force at a protest where Gurley's two-year-old daughter Akaila said she misses her father. 'I miss my daddy': Akaila Gurley, whose father was killed by the NYPD, said she misses him . Explanation: Last night officials said Ballinger was speaking to a psychologist about how to tell Akaila what has happened to her father . Innocent: Gurley was walking down the stairs (right) with his girlfriend's apartment in Brooklyn . Family members including Akai's aunt, sister and Akaila's mother, Kimblerly Ballinger, were at a protest organized by the National Action Network in Harlem today. Akaila gave the heartbreaking message to the crowd via the Rev. Al Sharpton, who spoke at the event, according to an ABC reporter. Sources from Sharpton's National Action Network have previously said that Akaila doesn't understand that her father has died. It came not long after his sister swore not to rest until she has answers as to why another black man has been killed by law enforcement. Liang killed Gurley while he was was reportedly walking down a dimly-lit staircase at the Louis Pink Houses, weapon drawn. Police say he fired by accident. Protests: Akai Gurley's daughter, two-year-old Akaila, right, attended a protest with her mother Kimberly Ballinger, center, where Rev. Al Sharpton, left, criticized police . Answers: Gurley's family have sworn not to let the killing rest and pursue police . The incident - described as an 'unfortunate tragedy' by NYPD commissioner William Bratton - has prompted protests from Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, which is holding the Harlem rally today. Kimberly Ballinger, mother to Gurley's daughter Akaila, rested the child on her lap before speeches were made calling for a full investigation. Speaking at the event, Sharpton demanded answers for why Liang was walking around with the safety on his weapon switched off, which he called a long-standing problem. He said: 'The issue of police going up dark stairwells with their guns drawn and their safety off is at the center of this... We have raised this question over and over again. ... It is a matter of police policy', according to NBC. Yesterday his sister Akisha Pringle wrote on Facebook, saying: 'I can't believe my Big Bro is actually gone man. He just got out of prison… Him and I was just talking about how we was gonna surprise my mother on Thanksgiving day. 'I'm so broken. He did nothing wrong and now I'll never ever get a chance to see, hug or kiss hear from him… the cops are so dirty, man. 'But best believe this will not rest with my family. We are about to have problems. I'm so sick of innocent black people going down for no apparent reason at all. And now it's my brother.' The complex where Gurley was shot had recently seen a shooting, robberies and assaults. Last night Ballinger and other family members met with New York officials, who apologized for the death. An official from Sharpton's National Action Network said outside the meeting: ''Things are a little tense right now as you can imagine.' The official added that Ballinger was consulting a psychologist to help explain Gurley's death to his 2-year-old daughter, which was 'a very difficult thing to have to explain to a child when you've always taught them that the police were there to be our friends and to protect us.' Mayor Bill de Blasio, calling Gurley's death a 'tragedy,' met with some of his relatives Friday evening. Police Commissioner William Bratton similarly described the shooting as a tragedy and said the 28-year-old man was 'totally innocent' and wasn't engaged in criminal activity when the officer fired his weapon. Notorious: The block of apartments where Gurley was shot (pictured) is a know hotspot for crime . Why exactly Officer Peter Liang had his gun drawn and fired while patrolling the Louis Pink Houses in Brooklyn's gritty East New York neighborhood with his partner late Thursday night wasn't immediately clear. Liang, 26, has been placed on modified duty. Police policy dictates that he must first be interviewed by the district attorney's office, which will decide whether to file criminal charges, before internal affairs officers can question. Police say the officers had descended onto an eighth-floor landing when, 14 steps away, Gurley and a girlfriend had opened a door into the seventh-floor landing. They had just decided to take the stairs down instead of waiting longer for an elevator. The lights were burned out in the stairwell, leaving it 'pitch black' and prompting both officers to use flashlights, Bratton said. Liang was about 10 feet from Gurley when, without a word and apparently by accident, he fired a shot, police said. In general, officers have discretion on whether to draw their weapons based on what they are encountering or believe they may encounter, Bratton said. Gurley and the girlfriend, Melissa Butler, made it down two flights of stairs after he was shot, but he collapsed on the fifth-floor landing and lost consciousness, according to reports. Gurley was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. Gurley's stepfather, Kenneth Palmer, said officials called his relatives in Jacksonville, Florida, to notify them of the death. 'He was a peacemaker,' he said.
Akai Gurley, 28, had just been offered a job with the city authority .
Brooklyn officials met with the DA, no full investigation planned yet .
Akaila, his two-year-old daughter, said she misses her father at Harlem rally .
Mother Kimberly Ballinger held her as rest of family demanded answers .
Gurley was shot dead by NYPD Officer Peter Liang Thursday in Brooklyn .
Police force said Liang was in dimly-lit stairwell and fired by accident .
Friends and relatives of the innocent man shot dead by an NYPD rookie have revealed he was about to start a new job with the city authority as he prepared to offer his two-year-old daughter a stable future. Neighbors paid tribute to Akai Gurley, 28, telling reporters he was a well-mannered member of the apartment block that never caused trouble. Their words added to mounting pressure on the DA to launch a full investigation into the Thursday night shooting in Brooklyn, which has been described by NYPD authorities as 'an unfortunate tragedy'. 'He was about to start work': Friends have paid tribute to Akai Gurley who was shot dead as he was due to start work with the city authority. The DA has launched a full investigation into the shooting on Thursday . 'Well-mannered': Neighbors said he never caused any trouble and got along with the community . 'He was happy that he was about to go to work, he was relieved,' 28-year-old Dente Crosby, Gurley's friend, told the New York Times. 'He was getting it all together,' a woman who wished to remain anonymous told the paper. 'He was becoming an actor, he was going to school for modeling and he was going to work for the city.' However, aside from a meeting between Brooklyn officials and the DA's office, a full investigation has yet to be launched. Gurley was killed by Officer Peter Liang, whom police say fired his pistol by accident while he was patrolling a dimly-lit staircase at a notorious Brooklyn apartment block. Crowds gathered on Sunday to demand answers from the police force at a protest where Gurley's two-year-old daughter Akaila said she misses her father. 'I miss my daddy': Akaila Gurley, whose father was killed by the NYPD, said she misses him . Explanation: Last night officials said Ballinger was speaking to a psychologist about how to tell Akaila what has happened to her father . Innocent: Gurley was walking down the stairs (right) with his girlfriend's apartment in Brooklyn . Family members including Akai's aunt, sister and Akaila's mother, Kimblerly Ballinger, were at a protest organized by the National Action Network in Harlem today. Akaila gave the heartbreaking message to the crowd via the Rev. Al Sharpton, who spoke at the event, according to an ABC reporter. Sources from Sharpton's National Action Network have previously said that Akaila doesn't understand that her father has died. It came not long after his sister swore not to rest until she has answers as to why another black man has been killed by law enforcement. Liang killed Gurley while he was was reportedly walking down a dimly-lit staircase at the Louis Pink Houses, weapon drawn. Police say he fired by accident. Protests: Akai Gurley's daughter, two-year-old Akaila, right, attended a protest with her mother Kimberly Ballinger, center, where Rev. Al Sharpton, left, criticized police . Answers: Gurley's family have sworn not to let the killing rest and pursue police . The incident - described as an 'unfortunate tragedy' by NYPD commissioner William Bratton - has prompted protests from Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, which is holding the Harlem rally today. Kimberly Ballinger, mother to Gurley's daughter Akaila, rested the child on her lap before speeches were made calling for a full investigation. Speaking at the event, Sharpton demanded answers for why Liang was walking around with the safety on his weapon switched off, which he called a long-standing problem. He said: 'The issue of police going up dark stairwells with their guns drawn and their safety off is at the center of this... We have raised this question over and over again. ... It is a matter of police policy', according to NBC. Yesterday his sister Akisha Pringle wrote on Facebook, saying: 'I can't believe my Big Bro is actually gone man. He just got out of prison… Him and I was just talking about how we was gonna surprise my mother on Thanksgiving day. 'I'm so broken. He did nothing wrong and now I'll never ever get a chance to see, hug or kiss hear from him… the cops are so dirty, man. 'But best believe this will not rest with my family. We are about to have problems. I'm so sick of innocent black people going down for no apparent reason at all. And now it's my brother.' The complex where Gurley was shot had recently seen a shooting, robberies and assaults. Last night Ballinger and other family members met with New York officials, who apologized for the death. An official from Sharpton's National Action Network said outside the meeting: ''Things are a little tense right now as you can imagine.' The official added that Ballinger was consulting a psychologist to help explain Gurley's death to his 2-year-old daughter, which was 'a very difficult thing to have to explain to a child when you've always taught them that the police were there to be our friends and to protect us.' Mayor Bill de Blasio, calling Gurley's death a 'tragedy,' met with some of his relatives Friday evening. Police Commissioner William Bratton similarly described the shooting as a tragedy and said the 28-year-old man was 'totally innocent' and wasn't engaged in criminal activity when the officer fired his weapon. Notorious: The block of apartments where Gurley was shot (pictured) is a know hotspot for crime . Why exactly Officer Peter Liang had his gun drawn and fired while patrolling the Louis Pink Houses in Brooklyn's gritty East New York neighborhood with his partner late Thursday night wasn't immediately clear. Liang, 26, has been placed on modified duty. Police policy dictates that he must first be interviewed by the district attorney's office, which will decide whether to file criminal charges, before internal affairs officers can question. Police say the officers had descended onto an eighth-floor landing when, 14 steps away, Gurley and a girlfriend had opened a door into the seventh-floor landing. They had just decided to take the stairs down instead of waiting longer for an elevator. The lights were burned out in the stairwell, leaving it 'pitch black' and prompting both officers to use flashlights, Bratton said. Liang was about 10 feet from Gurley when, without a word and apparently by accident, he fired a shot, police said. In general, officers have discretion on whether to draw their weapons based on what they are encountering or believe they may encounter, Bratton said. Gurley and the girlfriend, Melissa Butler, made it down two flights of stairs after he was shot, but he collapsed on the fifth-floor landing and lost consciousness, according to reports. Gurley was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. Gurley's stepfather, Kenneth Palmer, said officials called his relatives in Jacksonville, Florida, to notify them of the death. 'He was a peacemaker,' he said.
to start a new job with the city authority as he prepared to offer his two-year-old daughter a investigation into the Thursday night shooting in Brooklyn, which has been described by NYPD to Akai Gurley who was shot dead as he was due to launched a full investigation into the shooting investigation has yet to be launched. Gurley was Akaila said she misses her father. 'I miss my weapon drawn. Police say he fired by accident. holding the Harlem rally today. Kimberly at the event, Sharpton demanded answers for why Peter Liang had his gun drawn and fired while