The accused's mother screamed as a jury found her teenage son guilty of first-degree murder in the death of police officer Const. Garrett Styles.

His father reacted in shock as well, saying "no way" several times. On the victim's side, the Styles family gasped as the verdict was read, then quietly left the Newmarket, Ont., courthouse.

The 19-year-old, who can only be referred to as S.K. because he was 15 years old at the time of the death, was behind the wheel on June 28, 2011 — the night York Regional Police officer Styles was killed.

Styles pulled over a minivan full of teenagers who were out joyriding. During the traffic stop, S.K. fled, dragging Styles for a distance before the van rolled and killed the 32-year-old officer. The teen himself was paralyzed in the incident.

S.K., who was paralyzed in the crash that killed Styles, will be sentenced at an upcoming court date. (CBC) To make its ruling, the jury had to decide whether or not S.K. intended to drive away from Styles. It was convinced.

The Styles family, in a news release shared by York police on Thursday evening, expressed relief following the verdict.

"All we ever wanted was for the accused to be held accountable for his actions which cost Garrett his life," said Styles's wife, Melissa.

"We are pleased with the outcome in this trial. This serves as a reminder to all that there are consequences to the choices you make."

Styles's father Garry, a retired staff sergeant with the same police force his son served on, said he was "relieved" that S.K. is being held responsible for his actions.

Jury struggled to reach verdict

The 12-member jury took three days to come up with the verdict, during which time it twice asked the judge for help.

At one point, the jury asked if it could split into two groups to advance its discussions, but Judge Alex Sosna denied it.

Sosna, while instructing the jury members, said they should only worry about determining guilt and he would hand down the sentence.

The case was emotional for the families of both Styles and the teenager, with S.K. testifying earlier in the trial that he wakes up every morning thinking about the incident.

The Styles family has attended every court date, but has declined to speak with reporters.

"Never in a million years did I want what happened that night to have happened," S.K. told the court earlier.

It's unclear if S.K. will appeal the decision. He will remain free on bail until he is sentenced at an upcoming court date.

If he's sentenced as a young person, S.K. faces a maximum of 10 years in jail.