Jurors have begun deliberating the fate of five current or former police officers charged in deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina.

Jurors began their deliberations Wednesday after U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt gave them instructions.

The jury heard several hours of closing arguments Tuesday after five weeks of testimony by roughly 60 witnesses.

Police shot and killed two people and wounded four others on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after the 2005 storm. Officers are also accused of engaging in a cover-up.

Prosecutors say Katrina's chaotic aftermath offers no justification for police to shoot unarmed people who posed no threat.

Defense attorneys urged jurors to weigh the conditions after the storm in judging whether the officers acted reasonably.