Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was found guilty Tuesday of the murder of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black man she shot in his own apartment last year.

Guyger, 31, who had pleaded not guilty, could now face life in prison.

The then-officer shot Jean, an accountant, in his Dallas apartment on Sept. 6, 2018. He had been sitting on his couch watching TV and eating ice cream when she showed up. She said in her initial statements that she had mistaken him as an intruder in her own apartment, which was one floor below his.

According to her arrest warrant, she was able to enter the apartment because the door had been left slightly ajar. Guyger, who was wearing her uniform during the incident, told investigators she fired at him twice after he ignored her commands. She said she then called 911.

Guyger was fired from the Dallas Police Department later that month and was indicted on a murder charge about two months later.

Jean’s family members hugged each other and cried in the courtroom after Judge Tammy Kemp handed down the verdict, local media reported.

Ben Crump, an attorney for the family, said in a statement that the jury’s decision “sets a powerful precedent for future cases.”

“Nothing will bring Botham back but today his family has found some measure of justice,” he said. “What happened on September 6, 2018, is clear to everyone: This officer saw a black man and shot, without reason and without justification.”

“The jury’s thoughtful verdict sets a powerful precedent for future cases, telling law enforcement officers that they cannot hide behind the badge but instead will face justice for their wrongful actions,” he added.