The Latest: Jury recommends 2 1/2 years for convicted officer

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Latest on the trial of a white former police officer charged in the killing of a young black man (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

A jury has recommended 2 1/2 years in prison for a white former police officer convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.

The jury made its recommendation for Stephen Rankin on Thursday, hours after the panel convicted him of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 18-year-old William Chapman. The young black man was accused of shoplifting before he was shot in the face and chest outside a Wal-Mart store last year.

No video recorded the actual killing, and testimony conflicted on the details of what happened. But most witnesses said Chapman had his hands up, and prosecutor Stephanie Morales said the officer could have used non-deadly force.

A judge will formally sentence Rankin at a later date.

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3:50 p.m.

A jury convicted a white former police officer of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed black teen accused of shoplifting at a Wal-Mart.

The jury did not convict on the first-degree murder charge prosecutors sought in the case of Portsmouth Officer Stephen Rankin, who was fired as he awaited trial. But criminal charges are rare in police-involved shootings, and convictions are even more uncommon.

Rankin shot 18-year-old William Chapman in the face and chest outside a Wal-Mart last year after a security guard accused the teen of shoplifting. No video recorded the killing, and testimony conflicted on the details.