Ten months after a Dallas County jury said it couldn't decide whether a former Mesquite officer had acted reasonably in opening fire on an unarmed man, a second set of jurors has found him not guilty of an assault charge.

Derick Wiley, 37, had faced five to 99 years or life in prison if convicted of the single count of aggravated assault by a public servant.

In his first trial, the jury was deadlocked 8-4 in favor of acquittal.

Wiley, who was fired after the shooting, said after Monday afternoon's verdict that he plans to return to work as a police officer as soon as possible because the work is "just in my blood." He has appealed his termination from the Mesquite Police Department.

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The former patrol officer hugged his attorneys and fought back tears as the verdict was announced. His supporters, including his wife and his mother, leaned forward to congratulate him.

Wiley testified last week that he was sure he would die when Lyndo Jones, then 31, broke away from him and ran in a dark Mesquite parking lot in November 2017.

He had described Jones' behavior as erratic and maintained that his aggressive approach during the encounter had been necessary to control the man he initially thought was a stranded motorist, then decided could be a vehicle burglar.

"I thought I was going to die out there," Wiley testified. "His body language just wasn't right."

The officer fired twice, striking Jones once in the upper back and once near his left hip.

Wiley said Monday that he would continue to pray for Jones, and everyone else involved in the case.

Jones and his attorneys were shocked and devastated by the verdict, his civil attorney Justin Moore said, but they don't believe the verdict will affect the civil rights lawsuit they have filed.

The jury considered emotional statements from Jones and Wiley, as well as testimony from investigators, expert witnesses and the two business owners who called police to report Jones as a suspicious person in their parking lot.

Lawyers also dissected three videos of the incident, pausing and lightening the footage to show the jury the moments that seemed particularly dangerous for either of the men.

In closing arguments, attorneys on both sides of the case asked jurors to make a decision that would help set standards for policing in Dallas County. A guilty verdict would show that officers are accountable to the law, prosecutors said, while Wiley's defense said a verdict of not guilty would reflect that officers require a margin of error in order to protect themselves.

Prosecutor Bryan Mitchell said Monday that his office won't be deterred from continuing to bring charges against police officers to the grand jury.

"The community sets the standard for what is appropriate," Mitchell said. "That's why we have the system we have."

The jurors deliberated for more than three hours Friday evening before being sent home for the weekend. After an additional three and a half hours of deliberation Monday, including a request to watch video of the incident again, they returned with the unanimous decision.