A Fort Worth man charged in a shooting that injured two police officers serving a warrant was acquitted of aggravated assault on a public servant.
Ronald Wayne Herford was instead convicted of aggravated assault, a lesser charge that carries a much lighter penalty, in the 2010 shooting.
There was no disputing that Herford was one of three armed men who fired shots from inside the house on Las Brisas Drive, but his defense team convinced the jury that he did not know Fort Worth police officers were on the other side of the wall.
The SWAT team members were serving a high-risk drug warrant Feb. 19, 2010, and entered the house through the garage.
They said they identified themselves. Herford's defense team said their client started blindly shooting through the wall because he thought a gang member was coming to hurt one of his friends and steal his drug money.
During the sentencing phase of the trial, Herford apologized to one of the officers in courtroom and asked for leniency, saying he deserved a second chance.
Herford was on probation at the time of the shooting. He could get two to 20 years in prison, or jurors could issue probation again.
