The Latest: Somali American police group pans Noor verdict
Posted May 1, 2019 10:33:31 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Latest on a Minneapolis police officer being convicted of murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman who had called 911 (all times local):
8:15 a.m.
An association for Somali American police officers says it believes institutional prejudice “heavily influenced” the murder conviction of a Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an unarmed woman.
Mohamed Noor was convicted Tuesday in the 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of Australia and the U.S. who had called 911 to report a possible rape behind her house. Noor shot Damond when she appeared at the squad car’s window immediately after what he said was a loud bang that startled him and his partner.
The Minnesota-based Somali American Police Association also said in its statement that the Hennepin County prosecutor had “other motives” than serving justice in going after Noor. County Attorney Mike Freeman has rejected the suggestion that race played any part in charging Noor.
Noor was fired after he was charged.
___
12 a.m.
A jury took little more than a day to convict a black Minneapolis police officer of murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed white woman who had called 911 to report a possible crime.
The guilty verdict sparked questions about whether race played a role.
Mohamed Noor is Somali American. He was convicted in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. Noor testified he shot Damond after becoming startled, and she appeared at his partner’s window, raising her arm.
It’s rare for police officers to be convicted, but some Minnesota community members say they saw this coming for Noor because he is Somali American.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said race is not a factor in his work and the evidence shows Noor acted unreasonably.
The Associated Press
