INDIANAPOLIS -- A jury convicted a man of murder for fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy who threw eggs at him.

The Marion Superior Court jury in Indiana deliberated for seven hours Thursday before finding Donald E. Ware guilty of killing Brandon Dunson-Taylor.

Ware, 37, of Avon, Ind., showed no emotion as he looked at the jury while the verdict was read. He faces 79 years in prison and was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15.

Dunson-Taylor's great uncle, Charles Russell, said the incident was a lesson for teens to avoid the actions that led to the shooting.

"A child's prank can have consequences that no one could anticipate," Russell said.

Russell expressed sympathy for Ware's family. Ware's sister, Kim Fiscus, apologized to members of Dunson-Taylor's family, although she was still unhappy with the verdict.

"It's a different world out there today, and the things that can happen as a result of a childish prank can have consequences that are much more serious than anyone could anticipate," said Russell. "No one expected that throwing an egg could lead to the loss of Brandon's life."

Prosecutors portrayed Ware, who is white, as a racist motivated by more than anger when he fired a rifle toward the group of black youths throwing eggs at motorists including him on July 24 on Indianapolis' west side.

"I can't stand that the prosecution made it racially motivated," Fiscus said. "Everyone needs to know it was not racially motivated."

Ware's mother, Donna Ware, said her son was innocent.

"He's done a lot of dumb things, but he would never kill anyone unless it was in self-defense," she said.

Prosecutors said Ware told police he had yelled racial epithets at the teens after getting struck in the head with an egg.

The prosecution said Ware chased them through a parking lot and fired at them from his truck. They said police recovered two shell casings near a spot where Ware's truck had been.

Police never recovered the rifle used to shoot Dunson-Taylor in the back as he ran away. A friend found his body several hours later.

Ware was also convicted of battery in the shooting of Michael Dyer, 17, and two counts of criminal recklessness in connection with shots fired toward two teenagers who were not injured.