CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland Municipal Court judge on Friday acquitted a Cleveland police officer on a negligent homicide charge related to the 2015 shooting death of an unarmed burglary suspect.

Cleveland Municipal Judge Michael Sliwinski found Alan Buford not guilty of the first-degree misdemeanor charge following a three-day trial.

Buford shot and killed Brandon Jones on March 19, 2015, while the 18-year-old man was burglarizing Parkwood Grocery in the city's Glenville neighborhood.

Defense attorney Henry Hilow successfully argued that the shooting was justified because a reasonable police officer would have been in fear for his own life.

The judge acquitted Buford despite testimony from his partner, officer Gregory King, who said during the trial that he thought the shooting was unnecessary. Cuyahoga County prosecutors argued King's testimony was "paramount" in the case because it proved another officer would have acted differently.

Buford and King approached Jones as the latter backed out of the grocery store with a bag of stolen items. Each officer grabbed Jones with one hand and kept his other hand on his gun. Buford shot Jones seconds after the officers grabbed him, King testified during the trial.

Hilow argued that evidence showed Jones may have grabbed at Buford's gun before the officer fired the fatal shot. King testified that he didn't see Jones' hands and wasn't sure if Jones grabbed at Buford's gun.

The officers did not know if Jones had a gun or if there was anyone else in the store, who may have posed a threat to the officers, Hilow argued.

Buford did not testify during the trial.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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