A Chicago jury found that a police officer unloading 11 shots at a black teenager from inside his police SUV and killing him in July 2013 was unjustified.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the jury awarded the mother of 17-year-old Christian Green $350,000 in damages.
Attorney Victor Henderson, representing Green's mother, told jurors that the teen had tried to throw a weapon into a trash can and was shot in the back as he ran away from Gonzalez.
Jurors found that Gonzalez didn't "reasonably believe" his life was in danger when he fired at Green.
A bullet struck Green in the left side of his back, piercing his lung and heart. Court records show Green's gun was found in a vacant lot about 75 feet (22 meters) from his body.
"I think that the outcome could have been greater," Patricia Green, the teenager’s mother, told reporters outside the courtroom, referring to the relatively low payout. "But the money can't take the place of my son. ... I can never get him back."
According to the Tribune, the 10-member jury deliberated for about 16 hours over three days before reaching its verdict. It was the first time Gonzalez had been found liable for wrongdoing in his 19-year career.
Additionally, Green is facing two pending federal lawsuits alleging he helped frame drug suspects as part of a band of corrupt officers working under former Sgt. Ronald Watts.
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