Emrah Bulatci has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of an RCMP officer two years ago.
On Thursday, a jury in Yellowknife convicted Bulatci, a 25-year-old Alberta resident, for murdering Const. Chris Worden.
After responding to a routine call in Hay River, N.W.T. in 2007, Worden was shot four times. His widow cried as the jury delivered the verdict.
During his trial, Bulatci testified that he killed the officer accidentally while the two were wrestling for Bulatci's gun.
Crown lawyers countered that Bulatci intended to murder Worden, because he held on to the trigger of his gun long enough to fire two shots.
The trial lasted four weeks, during which time the court heard from more than 50 witnesses.
Prior to his fatal run-in with the RCMP officer on Oct. 6, 2007, witnesses said Bulatci was at a party, where he sold cocaine and boasted about his gun.
The two spoke briefly before Worden chased Bulatci into the woods, where his body was later found.
Police in Edmonton arrested Bulatci nearly a week after the shooting at a housing complex in that city.
At the start of the trial, the Crown rejected an offer by Bulatci to plead guilty to manslaughter. His lawyer then argued that Bulatci intended to wound the officer with his gun.
Hay River erected a bust of Worden at a local recreation centre following his death. The town has also reinitiated anti-drug programs and has extended the hours at youth facilities.
Less than a month after the shooting, another RCMP officer, 20-year-old Const. Doug Scott, was shot and killed in Kimmirut, Nunavut.
The RCMP then changed its staffing policy. At small detachments, officers would respond in pairs to calls in which violence was a threat. Off-duty officers would have to accompany Mounties who are working alone.
Victim impact statements will be read in court later on Thursday as part of Bulatci's sentencing.
