New Orleans Cops Convicted in Bridge Shootings

All five New Orleans police officers accused of involvement in post-Katrina shootings on a city bridge have been found guilty. Although the jury did not find that their actions constituted murder, it ruled that the cops violated the victims' civil rights, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. They all face long prison terms when sentenced on Dec. 14. The shootings left two civilians dead on Danziger Bridge in the hurricane's aftermath.

Four of the officers were directly involved in the shootings; the fifth was in charge of the police investigation into the incident. "We're thankful for closure after six long years of waiting for justice," said a brother of one of the men killed. The case is one of four major federal cases against the NOPD stemming from post-Katrina violence. Click to read about another high-profile one. (More Hurricane Katrina stories.)