Former Minneapolis Cop’s Murder Conviction In Death Of 911 Caller Reversed
The Minnesota Supreme Court has vacated the murder conviction of Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, who mistakenly shot an Australian woman who had called 911 to report a possible rape.
Per ABC News, Noor’s lawyer Thomas Plunkett, filed a petition requesting the high court to hear his client’s case after the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled earlier to initially upholding the 2019 conviction.
Per the new decision the court ruled that “the mental state necessary for depraved-mind murder… is a generalized indifference to human life, which cannot exist when the defendant’s conduct is directed with particularity at the person who is killed.”
Plunkett’s office issued the following statement,
The Mohamed Noor appeal team is happy for Mr. Noor and his young family. They have had a long journey; now fairness has been delivered to a person who is a devoted to his community. We just got off the phone with Mohamed his words, ‘with hardship comes ease’ he is so looking forward to hugging his son as soon as possible. We have always maintained that this was a tragic case, and we are grateful for an exceptionally well-reasoned and unanimous opinion from this State’s highest court.’
However Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was not happy,
“We are disappointed that the Minnesota Supreme Court chose to reverse the third-degree murder conviction of Mohamed Noor. The court overruled prior case law supporting the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charging decision and we disagree with their analysis of the law. However, we respect and acknowledge that the Minnesota Supreme Court is the final arbiter in this matter. Accordingly, we must and do accept this result.”
Noor was also convicted of second-degree manslaughter for the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond on July 15, 2017. That verdict still stands after Damond made a call to report a possible crime, when the police arrived Damon startled them by stepping outside and Noor fired a shot striking her.
Minneapolis settled with the woman’s family for $20M.