Minnesota: Mohamed Noor Found Guilty in Death of Australian Woman

And, according to CNN’s report of the trial’s last day yesterday, Australian media packed the courtroom along with many family members and friends of the murdered woman.
My earlier report on the trial is here.

 

Here is CNN’s report of what happened. You may find more detailed and more useful reports in Minnesota media but so many news outlets now hide behind a paywall that it is sometimes hard to get a news story for free.  BTW, in my morning perusal of CNN’s early morning TV show, there was no mention of this case at all.

Former Minneapolis police officer found guilty in Justine Ruszczyk’s death

Minneapolis (CNN)Former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor was found guilty Tuesday of third-degree murder and manslaughter for fatally shooting Justine Ruszczyk while responding to her 911 call.
The jury of ten men and two women acquitted Noor on an additional count of second-degree murder in the killing.

 
Noor, a 33-year-old Somali-American, is believed to be the first police officer to be convicted of murder in Minnesota in recent memory, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said.
Noor sat quietly with his hands clasped as the verdict was read. He was immediately taken into custody and led of the courtroom in handcuffs.
He faces up to 12 and a half years for third-degree murder and four years for second-degree manslaughter. The judge set a sentencing date of June 7.
Noor’s lawyer said a “perfect storm” of events led him to open fire on Ruszczyk the night of July 15, 2017, when she called 911 to report a possible assault in progress in an alley behind her Minneapolis home.
Noor testified that he feared for his partner’s life as Ruszczyk approached their squad car in the dark, empty alley. But Hennepin County prosecutors said Noor overreacted and failed to properly assess the situation before firing a gunshot into Ruszczyk’s abdomen.
Ruszczyk’s death drew widespread attention, in the United States and in her native Australia. She had moved to Minneapolis to be with her fiancé and was killed a month before her wedding.
Members of the Australian media packed the courtroom along with Ruszczyk’s family, and representatives of the Somali community in Minneapolis.
[….]
The shooting cast a harsh spotlight on the Minneapolis Police Department and the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for its handling of the investigation, culminating in the resignation of Minneapolis’ police chief and a change in the department’s body camera policy.

More here. See how the fear-producing thump on the car excuse was blown out of the water.
For new readers, know that almost all Somalis in the US came here through the US Refugee Admissions Program.  They (with the help of non-profit federally-funded resettlement agencies) are building Somali “communities” (aka enclaves) in several US cities, but Minneapolis is the number one destination site.