A federal jury in Massachusetts has awarded $27 million to a man who spent 27 years in prison for a killing he maintained he didn't commit.

Masslive.com reports that jurors made their decision in favor of 55-year-old Mark Schand in federal court in Springfield on Friday.

Schand sued four now-retired Springfield police officers he says framed him for the 1986 killing of a woman outside a city club. Authorities say the victim was an innocent bystander who caught a stray bullet in the back after a drug deal went awry.

Police defended the integrity of their investigation.

Schand was freed from prison and prosecutors dropped the case in 2012. He now runs a smoothie shop in New Britain, Connecticut.

A city attorney says the city will appeal on behalf of the defendants.