Dominique Clark convicted of involuntary manslaughter in teen's shooting

A jury Thursday evening convicted Dominique Clark of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the shooting of a teen in February.

, the jury found Clark guilty of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter and recommended a fine of $2,500.

Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Hollomon said he was pleased with the conviction, and the attention the jury gave to the case. "It was not an easy case, and the decision-making process required a great deal of thought about the law of self-defense and how it applied to the facts of this case," he said. "The jury's verdict on involuntary manslaughter indicates they were convinced this was not self-defense, but rather, negligence or carelessness so culpable to show a callous disregard of human life."

In trial, testimony revealed Clark came out out of his house, left the safety of his home, walked to where he thought suspects were and yelled, "Freeze." Clark testified he heard someone say, "Shoot him, bro," and then he fired his gun. Clark said in trial he was aiming to make a defensive suppression shot, not a head shot.

"I emphasized to the jury that ownership and use of a deadly weapon in any situation carries with it an awesome responsibility," Hollomon said."Failure to live up to that responsibility will result in a person being held criminally responsible."