But prosecutors said Noor acted rashly, shooting without actually seeing any weapon. They also expressed doubt about the bang Noor reportedly heard, according to the AP. Neither Noor nor his partner told investigators at the scene about the noise, and Harrity didn’t mention it until three days later, in an interview with state authorities. And Noor did not answer investigators’ questions.<doc-sep>[For more about police violence and unrest, go here] For nearly two years, Minneapolis waited for answers about the fatal police shooting of Justine Ruszczyk, an unarmed woman who had called 911 seeking help. There was no video of the shooting. There was no audio. And the officer involved, Mohamed Noor, would not answer investigators’ questions. But on Tuesday, after a monthlong trial in downtown Minneapolis, a jury handed down a verdict that is exceedingly rare in police shooting cases: Mr. Noor was guilty of murder. The shooting of Ms. Ruszczyk, 40, set off outrage as far away as Australia, where she had lived for most of her life, and forced changes in the policies and leadership of the Minneapolis Police Department. The trial drew intense attention among Minnesota’s Somali-American residents, many of whom wondered whether Mr. Noor, who was born in Somalia, would be treated fairly. No other Minnesota officer has been convicted in recent decades in a fatal on-duty shooting. Jurors convicted Mr. Noor of third-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, and second-degree manslaughter, which can lead to as many as 10 years in prison. Under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, he will likely face several years in prison, but far fewer than the maximum.<doc-sep>Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder for killing Justine Ruszczyk Damond after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault. Kerem Yucel / AFP / Getty Images Mohamed Noor (left) with his attorneys. Mohamed Noor, a former Minneapolis cop, was found guilty of murder for fatally shooting an unarmed Australian woman who had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault. A jury on Tuesday convicted Noor, 33, on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was found not guilty of the most severe charge of second-degree murder. After a monthlong trial, the jury began deliberating Monday evening and reached its verdict Tuesday evening after roughly 10 hours. Noor will be sentenced June 7. During the trial, Noor broke 18 months of silence since the 2017 shooting to testify about the moment he opened fire on Damond. Damond was a 40-year-old yoga teacher and life coach who was engaged to her American fiancé, Don Damond. She was a month away from her wedding when she was killed. “If I knew this would happen, I would never have become a cop,” Noor told the jury, according to transcripts of the dramatic testimony. Noor, a Somali American, had refused to speak to investigators, make a public statement, or attend a grand jury hearing after the shooting. He repeatedly said on the stand that he made a “split-second decision” to shoot Damond because he believed that his partner, officer Matthew Harrity, feared for his life on July 15, 2017. Handout / Reuters Justine Ruszczyk Damond That night, Damond had called 911 twice to report hearing a woman "making sex noises” in the alley behind her house. She told the dispatcher that she wasn't sure "if she’s having sex or being raped." Noor and Harrity responded to the call in their squad car, which Harrity drove through the dark alley to search for the source of the sounds that Damond reported. When Harrity stopped the car at the end of the alley to let a person on bicycle pass by them, both men testified about hearing a loud thump or bang on the squad car. They saw a figure approach the driver’s side, which prompted Harrity to yell, “Oh, Jesus!” “He turned to me with fear in his eyes,” Noor told the court, referring to Harrity’s reaction. Noor testified that he knew his partner feared for his life because there was a threat. “And my intent was to stop the threat,” Noor said. Noor said he saw a woman with blond hair who was wearing a pink T-shirt raise her arm outside Harrity’s car window. He testified that although he did not see anything in the woman’s hand, he believed that she could have a weapon in her hand and that “[his] partner would have been dead.” Damond had her gold iPhone in her hand. Cedric Hohnstadt / AP Courtroom sketch of Noor testifying. Noor told the court that he rose from his seat on the passenger side, put his arm across Harrity’s chest to protect him from the shot he was about to fire, extended his gun past the steering wheel, and then fired a single shot at the woman outside the driver's side window. When the officers got out of the car and realized Damond was unarmed, they began performing CPR on her, but she was pronounced dead a short time later. The officers’ body cameras were turned on only after Damond was shot, and the footage captured her final moments where she said to them, “I’m dying.” Noor’s defense team argued that based on the officers’ testimony, they feared a possible ambush. They said that Noor’s police training informed his actions to protect himself and his partner. For police officers, "if you're reacting, it may already be too late," Noor's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, said in his closing arguments on Monday, according to tweets from a reporter present at the hearing. Prosecutors argued that Noor was reckless in his actions and questioned him about why he found Damond’s “blonde hair, pink T-shirt, and all” threatening. They also cast doubt on both officers’ testimony about hearing a thump on the car, as neither of them had initially reported hearing the sound immediately after the shooting. Based on forensic evidence, prosecutors argued that Damond’s fingerprints were not found on the squad car, suggesting that she never thumped the car. Prosecutors also highlighted inconsistencies between Noor's and Harrity's testimonies of what happened that night. Adam Bettcher / Reuters Don Damond (center) and his son Zach Damond.<doc-sep>
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A former Minneapolis police officer on Tuesday was found guilty of murder for fatally shooting an Australian woman from his patrol car while responding to her 2017 report of a possible sex assault near her home. Mohamed Noor, 33, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for killing 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond outside her home near Minneapolis. The incident drew international criticism, including from Australia’s prime minister, who called the incident “shocking.” He was acquitted of second-degree intentional murder. Noor sat silently through the reading of the verdict with his hands cupped, breathing heavily. The packed courtroom remained silent. Noor was handcuffed and taken into custody after the jury’s decision. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told a news conference he expected Noor to face 12-1/2 years in prison for the murder charge and four years for the manslaughter charge when he is sentenced on June 7. “This was a tragic shooting that did not have to happen and should not have happened,” Freeman said. “It does not give us pleasure to call out police wrongdoing.” Slideshow ( 4 images ) Freeman said it marks the first time a police officer in Minnesota was convicted of murder. A wave of killings of black men and teens by U.S. police prompted street protests but in this case Damond was white and Noor is a black Somali immigrant. “SAD AND TRAGIC INCIDENT” Noor and his partner drove to Damond’s home the night of July 15, 2017, to respond to her report of a possible sexual assault outside her house. When Damond approached the patrol car, Noor fired a shot across his partner through the passenger-side window to kill her. Noor testified in court that he shot Damond in an act of self-defense after he and his partner Matthew Harrity, who was driving, heard a loud noise. The shooting led to the resignation of Minneapolis’ police chief and the creation of stricter police body camera policies, after Noor and his partner failed to turn on their body cameras and provide video evidence to investigators. Slideshow ( 4 images ) Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo apologized to Damond’s friends and family in a statement released after the verdict. “This was indeed a sad and tragic incident that has affected family, friends, neighbors, the City of Minneapolis and people around the world, most significantly in her home country of Australia,” Arradondo said. Damond was engaged to be married that summer and owned a life-coaching company, according to her personal website. “That night there was a tragic lapse of care and complete disregard for the sanctity of life,” her fiance Don Damond said after the verdict was read. Damond’s father John Ruszczyk said the decision reflected the community’s commitment to the rule of the law, sanctity of life and the obligation of the police to serve and protect. The verdict “strengthens those pillars,” he said.