The trial of a Brooklyn cop accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man in a housing-project stairwell was postponed Monday after a juror landed in the hospital.
Juror No. 10 called the judge from the emergency room of Kings County Hospital to say his knee was swollen and that he was waiting to see a doctor, the jurist said.
The prosecution witnesses set to take the stand Monday included the partner of accused cop Peter Liang and the girlfriend of victim Akai Gurley.
Liang seemed particularly nervous in the courtroom, keeping his head down as his lawyers on either side of him put an arm around him and talked in each ear.
Also in the courtroom were at least 20 cops wearing Patrolemen’s Benevolent Association jackets. On previous days, only two cops have been in the gallery.
Before the trial was called off for the day, an argument broke out between Assemblyman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn) and a female court officer in the front of the room over seating.
Barron has been lending support to Gurley’s girlfriend, Melissa Butler, since the shooting. When he went to sit in the middle of the front row, expecting to hear her testify, Monday, the officer reminded him that the area was reserved for family members only.
“I have every right to be here!’’ Barron thundered as the lieutenant repeated, “Sir, we’re working on it.’’
He was eventually allowed to stay in his seat.
Additional reporting by Kate Sheehy