ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- A former police officer tearfully apologized Monday for his role in an elderly Atlanta woman 's shooting death during a botched drug raid , and another told a judge he prays daily for the victim . `` I used to think I was a good person , '' ex-cop Gregg Junnier said before breaking down on the witness stand during a sentencing hearing in a federal courtroom in Atlanta , CNN affiliate WXIA reported . Junnier and two other ex-officers , Arthur Tesler and Jason Smith , face prison in connection with the November 2006 drug raid that left 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston dead in a hail of gunfire . Investigators later determined the raid was based on falsified paperwork stating that illegal drugs were present in the home . The killing prompted a major overhaul of the Atlanta police drug unit . Smith , like Junnier , apologized during Monday 's sentencing hearing . The proceedings were expected to resume Tuesday . `` I pray daily for Ms. Johnston . I also pray other officers in Atlanta will have the moral fortitude I did n't have , '' Smith testified Monday , according to WXIA . Smith , Junnier and Tesler pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights resulting in death . Smith and Junnier also pleaded guilty to state charges of voluntary manslaughter and making false statements , and Smith admitted to planting bags of marijuana in Johnston 's house after her death . Tesler was convicted on one state count of making false statements for filling out an affidavit stating that an informant had purchased crack cocaine at Johnston 's home in a crime-plagued neighborhood near downtown Atlanta . The informant denied having been to Johnston 's home , leading to investigations by local authorities and the FBI , and the breakup and reorganization of the Atlanta police narcotics unit . Police said Johnston fired at them with an old pistol during the raid , and they shot back in self-defense . Johnston 's one shot went through her front door and over the officers ' heads ; they responded with 39 shots , hitting Johnston five times . `` Her death was the foreseeable culmination of a long-standing conspiracy in which the officers violated their oaths of office , '' Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon-Peter Kelly said , according to CNN affiliate WSB . The officers `` regularly swore falsely '' to get warrants and make cases , he said . Federal prosecutors said officers cut corners to make more time for lucrative side jobs providing additional security to businesses , often while on duty and for cash payments . Johnston 's family was not in court Monday . But U.S. District Judge Julie Carnes heard a letter from Johnston 's niece during the hearing , and family spokesman Markel Hutchins told WXIA he hopes an FBI report of the case can be used to prompt additional charges at the local level . `` The real culprit in this is the culture within the Atlanta Police Department and the higher-ups that laid the foundation . Why are n't they being held accountable ? '' Hutchins asked . The probe also led to guilty pleas by the police sergeant in charge of the narcotics unit and another officer who admitted to extortion , federal prosecutors said .
Sentencing hearing begins for three former Atlanta police officers . Kathryn Johnston , 92 , killed in her home during botched drug raid in November 2006 . The officers pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights . Officers `` regularly swore falsely '' to get warrants , assistant U.S. attorney says .