Former Minneapolis Police Officer Resentenced In Death Of 911 Caller

By Associated Press
October 21, 2021

A Minneapolis constabulary serviceman who fatally changeable an unarmed pistillate aft she called 911 to study a imaginable rape happening down her location was sentenced Thursday to astir 5 years successful situation — the maximum allowed for manslaughter aft his execution condemnation was overturned.

Mohamed Noor was initially convicted of third-degree execution and manslaughter successful the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old dual U.S.-Australian national and yoga teacher who was engaged to beryllium married. 

But the Minnesota Supreme Court tossed retired Noor's execution condemnation and 12 1/2-year condemnation past month, saying the third-degree execution statute didn't acceptable the lawsuit due to the fact that it tin lone use erstwhile a suspect shows a "generalized indifference to quality life," not erstwhile the behaviour is directed astatine a peculiar person, arsenic it was with Damond.

Judge Kathryn Quaintance, who besides presided astatine Noor's trial, granted prosecutors' petition to enforce the maximum condemnation called for by authorities sentencing guidelines connected Noor's manslaughter conviction, 57 months. In doing so, she brushed speech the defense's petition for 41 months, which is the debased extremity of the range. With bully behavior, Noor could beryllium freed connected supervised merchandise by adjacent summer.

Noor, who was fired aft helium was charged, has already served much than 29 months. In Minnesota, inmates who behave good typically service two-thirds of their situation sentences and the remainder connected supervised release.

Noor testified astatine his 2019 proceedings that helium and his spouse were driving dilatory successful an alley erstwhile a large bang connected their constabulary SUV made him fearfulness for their lives. He said helium saw a pistillate look astatine the partner's driver's broadside model and rise her close limb earlier helium fired a changeable from the rider spot to halt what helium thought was a threat.

Damond's decease angered citizens successful the U.S. and Australia, and led to the resignation of Minneapolis' constabulary chief. It besides led the section to alteration its argumentation connected assemblage cameras; Noor and his spouse didn't person theirs activated erstwhile they were investigating Damond's 911 call.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.