Cop shot her girlfriend and killed another woman, officials say. She could get 27 years
A former NYPD officer pleaded guilty in the attempted murder of one woman and in the shooting death of another woman, the New York Attorney General’s office announced.
Nearly three years ago, Yvonne Wu shot Jenny Li, who survived, and Jamie Liang, who died, with her police-issued service weapon in Li’s Brooklyn home in October 2021, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Wu was off-duty and had been dating Li, who police believed was also in a relationship with Liang at the time, The New York Times reported in 2021.
She confronted both women at Li’s home, shooting Li in the torso and Liang several times in the chest, the evening of Oct. 13, 2021, according to a lawsuit Li and Liang’s family filed against Wu in 2022.
The civil case is in the discovery phase, attorney Sanford Rubenstein, who represents Li and Liang’s family, told McClatchy News on June 24.
Since Wu, 34, of Staten Island, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter and one count of second-degree attempted murder, she could serve 27 years in prison, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said in a June 24 news release.
A 22-year sentence for the manslaughter charge, and a five-year sentence for the attempted murder charge have been recommended by Wu’s defense team and prosecutors, the release said.
Wu’s defense attorney, Lawrence Fredella, didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on June 24.
“This guilty plea demonstrates justice was done on the criminal side. Now we look for justice on the civil side,” Rubenstein told McClatchy News over the phone.
“We will be aggressively pursuing money damages in the civil case for the family for this horrible wrongful death,” Rubenstein said of Liang’s family.
Liang was 24 when she was killed by Wu, who had worked for the NYPD for more than five years when the shooting unfolded, The Associated Press reported in 2021.
The lawsuit says Wu “was suffering from psychological issues rendering (her) unfit to possess a gun.”
The city of New York, which the lawsuit names as a defendant alongside Wu, was aware that she was “a danger to others” before the shooting, which happened without “provocation,” a complaint says.
Liang was a NYU dental student and “had a bright future ahead of her,” her father Ying Liang told WABC in December 2021.
“She loved life, she got a big heart, she loved everyone,” Liang said.
Following the shooting, police said they found Wu outside of Li’s home and she “confessed,” WABC reported.
Wu has been detained without bail, according to the state attorney general’s office.
She is set to be sentenced on Aug. 28, the release said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2024 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Cop shot her girlfriend and killed another woman, officials say. She could get 27 years."
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