VALLEJO, Calif. -- A Vallejo man on trial for the shooting death of an off-duty Richmond police officer was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter Tuesday after being acquitted of the more serious charge of murder, a verdict that has upset the victim's colleagues on the force.

Quartus Hinton, 29, was charged with the murder of Kaliah Harper, 28, outside a Fairfield memorial service on Nov. 24, 2006. The jury also found him guilty of personal use of a firearm, according to Gerry Smith, the judicial assistant for Judge Allan Carter. The jury deliberated more than three days.

The shooting happened outside the Fairfield Community Center where a service was being held for two brothers the couple knew who had died in a vehicle accident on Nov. 17.

An ex-con with a long criminal record and Harper's ex-boyfriend, Hinton was arrested at the Vallejo Marina where he surrendered the day after the shooting.

Everyone at police headquarters in Richmond knew this was a possibility, but no one thought it would really happen. After all, the suspect had confessed to the killing and even admitted to it on the witness stand in court.

Many of officer Harper's colleagues are disappointed and they say they're not the only ones unhappy with the verdict.

If there ever was a man who deserved to be locked up for the rest of his life, Richmond Police Sgt. Mitch Peixoto says it was Quartus Hinton.

"It's shocking and something that I didn't want to hear. It hurts. It takes a little bit out of you," explained Sgt. Peixoto. "This is somebody that you work with on a daily basis. You get used to seeing them and then all of a sudden you don't."

After his arrest, the 29-year-old Hinton never denied he pulled the trigger. He told KTVU during a jailhouse interview in January of 2007 that he shot his former girlfriend out of fear for his own life.

"Throughout the relationship, she gave me threats about what she could do, her powers, like she could have me put away for life," said Hinton.

And on the witness stand, Hinton stuck to his story, telling the jury of eight men and four women: "I killed her, yes. Because she was going to kill me."

Michael Ogul is Hinton's attorney. He argued throughout the trial in a Solano County court room that the parolee wasn't guilty of first degree murder or manslaughter either.

Ogul says his client was convinced Officer Harper was out to get him over complaints he made about her to the Richmond Police Department. And he says Hinton only reached for the stolen .45 caliber handgun when he thought Harper was reaching for her gun.

"I think Mr. Hinton acted in self defense so I think he should have been acquitted," said Ogul. "When she goes into her purse [it’s] the same purse where she kept a gun as an undercover police officer."

When questioned why officers on the scene found no weapon, Ogul claimed "the police who responded to the scene did not document finding anything."

Richmond officers say they lost a rising star that day and deny any cover-up.

"I've seen a lot of things I shouldn't ever have to see, but identifying the person that works for you -- that's something that nobody ever wants to do," said Sgt. Peixoto.

Hinton is now looking at anything from probation to a maximum sentence of 38 years in prison for the manslaughter conviction. Sgt. Peixoto doesn't believe that's nearly enough.

"I'd like him to get 75-to-life for the first degree murder, because that's what he was looking at, and that's what he deserves," said the police sergeant.