NEW ORLEANS – The Latest on a former New Orleans police officer accused in the coverup of shootings that killed two people after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (all times local):

12 p.m.

The brother of a man shot and killed by police after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 says he’s thankful the criminal case is over and every officer involved has admitted guilt.

Lance Madison’s brother Ronald was among six people shot by police on a New Orleans bridge on Sept. 4, 2005, and one of two who were killed.

Retired police sergeant Gerard Dugue (DOO-gay) pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanour count of helping in a coverup. The judge dismissed an indictment charging him with multiple felonies and sentenced him to a year on probation, plus restitution.

Defence attorney Claude Kelly says Dugue can now enjoy his retirement.

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10 a.m.

A former New Orleans police officer accused in the coverup of shootings that killed two people after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour.

Gerard Dugue (DOOH’-gay) pleaded guilty on Friday, a day after prosecutors replaced felony charges with a single misdemeanour charge: “accessory after the fact to wilful deprivation of rights under cover of law.”

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt sentenced Dugue to a year of probation and ordered him to pay restitution, saying he will determine the amount after civil lawsuits filed by victims’ families have been resolved.

Dugue, a retired sergeant, was accused of helping cover up shootings at New Orleans’ Danziger bridge. Five former police officers pleaded guilty earlier this year: four in connection with the shootings; one for a role in the coverup. Their sentences range from three to 12 years.

An indictment initially charged Dugue with multiple felonies including conspiracy to obstruct justice. The new charge eliminates the need for a trial, which had been set for Monday.

The plea resolves a long-running criminal case that roiled the New Orleans Police Department after Katrina.

The city and the U.S. Justice Department agreed to a reform plan for the police department in 2012.

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2:45 a.m.

A former New Orleans police officer accused in the coverup of shootings that killed two people after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is set to change his plea.

The hearing Friday for Gerard Dugue (DOOH’-gay) comes a day after federal prosecutors reduced felony charges against him to a single misdemeanour.

He’s accused in the coverup of police shootings that killed two people at New Orleans’ Danziger bridge. His trial had been scheduled to start Monday.

Five other former police officers pleaded guilty earlier this year: four in connection with the shootings; one for a role in the coverup.

A guilty plea would end a criminal case that roiled the New Orleans Police Department after Katrina.

The city and the U.S. Justice Department agreed to a reform plan in 2012.