A Winnipeg jury began deliberating late Wednesday in the trial of two city police officers accused of shooting a suspect and then trying to cover it up.

Const. Darrel Selley and Const. Kris Overwater have been on trial since Jan. 21, accused of shooting Kristofer Fournier following a high-speed chase in 2007, then trying to cover up what happened.

The judge overseeing the case spent several hours giving the final charge to the jury on Wednesday afternoon.

Jurors began deliberating that evening, adjourning for the night at around 9:30 p.m. They will reconvene on Thursday.

In closing arguments presented on Tuesday, the defence argued that the officers shot the suspect, Fournier, in the buttocks when he tried to grab Overwater’s gun.

However, the prosecution maintains there was never a struggle over a weapon, and the officers lied about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Selley is on trial on seven charges, including one count of attempted murder, in connection with the shooting. Overwater is accused of helping Selley fabricate evidence.