Former Puerto Rico policeman found guilty of murder

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A judge in Puerto Rico has found a former police officer guilty of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a man in the face.

The island’s Justice Department said Thursday that Nieves Perez Ortiz was off duty when he killed a man who was arguing with a cook outside a food truck in July 2017. Perez has said he fired at Anewki Gross Polanco in self-defence. An attorney for Perez could not be immediately reached.

Perez is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

Puerto Rico’s police department is facing a 10-year federally mandated reform after U.S. prosecutors accused officers of illegal killings, corruption and civil rights violations.