Baltimore police officer Edward Nero has been found not guilty by a judge of all charges for his role in the 2015 arrest and death of Freddie Gray, an incident which sparked massive riots that scarred the streets of Baltimore and the psyche of the nation.

The Baltimore Sun reports that upon hearing the verdict, Nero leaned forward and wiped his eyes. In a statement afterwards, Nero’s lawyer Marc Zayon said he’s “elated that this nightmare is finally over.”

The Gray family, which obtained a $6.4 million settlement from the city, said they respect the judge’s decision. Their attorney Billy Murphy said Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams should be commended for “not bending to public opinion in analyzing this case.”

Nero, 30, faced four misdemeanor charges of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office. The judgment from Williams came after a five-day bench trial. Officer Nero is the second of six city police officers charged in the death and arrest, and the first to reach a verdict. Last December, the trial of Officer William Porter ended with a hung jury and mistrial.

Officer Nero was one of three bike patrol officers who chased and arrested Gray on April 12 in West Baltimore. Gray was a known drug dealer with a long rap sheet. Prosecutors claimed Nero and other two officers ignored Gray’s request for an inhaler and then dragged him to a police van. They hold that Gray suffered severe spinal chord injuries while in the back of the van. He died a week later, sparking citywide protests. On April 27, 2015, the day of Gray’s funeral, massive rioting broke out in the city, injuring at least 20 police officers and damaging as many as 350 businesses as dozens of stores were looted and with more than $9 million in damages.