BATON ROUGE — A judge on Wednesday convicted a man in the shooting death of a former Baton Rouge Police officer who attempted to stop a vehicle break-in in his neighborhood in April 2020.

District Attorney Hillar Moore III said Craig Willis was found guilty of manslaughter, burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Gail Horne Ray heard the case without a jury, at Willis' request.

Ryan Hord, 41, died on April 26, 2020, on Richland Avenue between North Boulevard and Government Street. At the time, police said he and Willis exchanged gunfire after Hord confronted him just before midnight. Willis was wounded and charged after being treated for his injuries.

Willis' lawyer called Hord the aggressor, saying the former officer opted to hunt Willis down rather than call police about the break-ins.

Willis initially faced a charge of second-degree murder, which is punishable by a mandatory life term. Manslaughter is punishable by up to 40 years in prison.

Sentencing was set for Oct. 30.