This story has been updated with a comment from Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

DETROIT - A former Michigan State Police trooper faces up to 15 years in prison after a jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

The jury decided Mark Bessner was responsible for the death of Damon Grimes, a 15-year-old Detroit boy who died in 2017 after crashing his all-terrain vehicle when Bessner shot him with a taser. Bessner was accused of shooting Grimes with the taser from the passenger seat of a patrol car while he and his partner chased the teenager.

Bessner, who had previously been disciplined for misuse of a taser, had said he thought the teen was reaching for a gun when he deployed the taser. No weapon was found on the teenager.

“There can be no question that Mark Bessner knew that (he) was going to cause some serious harm to Damon Grimes,” assistant prosecutor Matthew Penney told jurors.

MSP officials condemned Bessner’s actions and agreed criminal charges were necessary. The jury took a day to come to a verdict, ultimately deciding to convict Bessner of involuntary manslaughter, instead of the more serious charge of second-degree murder.

Bessner was taken into custody and is awaiting his sentencing on May 2.

In October, a jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the case resulting in a mistrial.

Oliver Gantt, a spokesperson for the Grimes family, said the family is “somewhat satisfied” with the verdict.

“I know they had hoped for more. For the most part, I think they got a little bit of closure. I believe the family can rest with that," Gantt said.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy issued a statement following the announcement of the verdict.

“The jury made a strong statement today about the defendant’s criminal actions. This verdict was a result of a lot of hard work by my office and law enforcement. I want to thank this jury and it is my earnest hope that this verdict brings some small semblance of peace to the Grimes family,” said Worthy.

Two months before Grimes’ death, Bessner was cleared by an arbitrator after he was nearly suspended for allegedly using his taser on a man who was in handcuffs, but fled from police. Bessner was also suspended in 2014 for firing his taser at another man who was in handcuffs.