FARGO - A Minnesota man who said he accidentally shot his friend to death after a dice game has been acquitted of murder.

An East Central District Court jury found Deandre Buchanan not guilty in the death of Jeremy Cook. Jurors deliberated for less than seven hours before returning with the verdict Tuesday afternoon.

Buchanan, 23, fought back tears and hugged his attorney, Steven Light, after the verdict was read. He hugged family members, then quickly left the courthouse.

Asked what his client had said to him, Light replied, "Thank you."

Light said he was pleased with the verdict, but said it was overshadowed by Cook's death.

"He's going to have to live with the memory of what happened, no matter whose fault it was," Light said of Buchanan.

"We're disappointed by the jury's verdict," said Mark Boening, a Cass County prosecutor. "We respect their decision."

Buchanan, 23, a former Minnesota State University Moorhead basketball player, was charged with AA felony murder in the June 17 shooting at Cook's apartment in Fargo. He said the shooting was an accident.

Boening refused to speculate on whether authorities should have sought a lesser charge against Buchanan.

"Would that have made a difference with the jury? Nobody can answer that," he said.

East Central Judge Douglas Herman said, "It's hard to imagine a more attentive, hardworking jury than this one was."

Authorities said Cook, 24, was killed by a bullet fired from close range that pierced his heart and left lung.

Buchanan testified in his own defense last week.

He told jurors that Cook was trying to get back a gun that Cook had wagered and lost during a dice game. Buchanan said he was trying to leave the apartment when Cook was shot. He said the gun "just went off" during the struggle.

Prosecutors said the shooting was no accident. They called a witness, Amber Wilson, who said she heard Buchanan threaten to shoot Cook. Buchanan denied saying that.

Light said Wilson's testimony was inconsistent and likely played a part in the verdict.

"I always felt Deandre was telling the truth," Light said.

Boening said Wilson gave four separate interviews for the case and while "they're not identical … we felt the statements were essentially consistent."