Civil rights activists have claimed the US cop who was found guilty of murdering an Australian-American woman would have walked free if he was white.
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter on Tuesday for his role in Justine Ruszczyk Damond’s death.
Noor, a 33-year-old Somali-American, testified he shot the unarmed Australian-American woman, because he believed there was an imminent threat.
Damond, a 40-year-old blonde woman, was gunned down as she approached the officers’ vehicle after she had called 911 earlier to report a possible assault.
A jury of ten men and two women announced the verdict after deliberating for 11 hours.
The case is believed to mark the first time a Minnesota cop has been convicted on a murder charge for killing someone while on duty.
Although many agreed Noor was guilty, the jury’s verdict sparked a discussion about whether the outcome of the trial may have been influenced by the fact that Noor is black and his victim was white.
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor (pictured right arriving in court today) has been found guilty of third-degree murder and manslaughter for fatally shooting Justine Damond (left).
Social justice activist Shaun King called the verdict ‘the most predictable outcome of any police violence case in American history
Critics were quick to point out that the cop would have walked free if he was white
Social justice activist Shaun King called the verdict ‘the most predictable outcome of any police violence case in American history….A Black Muslim immigrant cop killed a white woman,’ he tweeted.
‘Mohamed Noor was the FIRST cop EVER convicted of murder in Minnesota. I can name 10 cases there with more evidence. This case had no body cameras, no recordings, etc.
‘Again, Noor was absolutely guilty. But this verdict has everything to do with race. Everything.’
The jury came to a decision after deliberating for 11 hours
The two tweets received more than 3,000 likes and hundreds of retweets.
Twitter user Malik Bey echoed those sentiments tweeting: ‘The biggest mistake Noor made is thinking the corrupted blue badge would override his skin color.
‘In a justice system designed to fail black people, it seems it doesn’t matter which side of the law you’re on as long as you’re black.’
Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong said the decision will not prevent another officer from killing again.
‘First officer convicted in Minnesota for killing a (white) civilian is a Black, Muslim, Somali man. Coincidence? I think not. Will other (white) officers be held accountable for killing civilians in Minnesota, in light of this verdict? Not likely,’ she said in a Facebook post.
‘Do communities of color feel safer now that one officer has been convicted? I would venture to say no. Black lives still do not matter in our justice system, which comes as no surprise to those of us who have been paying attention. Cops in Minnesota will still be able to kill with impunity.’
During a press conference on Tuesday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman responded to the backlash denying the decision was racially-motivated.
Noor (pictured in his mugshot) was found guilty of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and was acquitted on the highest charge, second-degree murder
A courtroom sketch depicts former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor on the witness stand Thursday, April 25. Noor had testified he shot Damond after he heard a bang on his squad car, saw his partner was scared, then saw Damond at his partner’s window, raising her arm
One user said white cops are hardly ever found guilty of ‘anything, let alone murder’
User Charles Johnson said Noor was found guilty because he is a black man who killed a white woman
Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong the outcome will not affect how white officers are tried for killing civilians in Minnesota
‘I’ve heard a small group in the community make disparaging remarks about me and this office to the effect that I won’t charge white cops who shoot black people, but I’ll charge black cops who shoot white people,’ he said.
‘That simply is not true. Race has never been a factor in any of my decisions and never will be.’
But critics have drawn comparisons between Noor’s case and various cases of police brutality deaths involving white officers and unarmed black victims over the last few years, such as in the death of Eric Garner.
Garner was killed after NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo allegedly put him in a chokehold while arresting him for selling loose cigarettes.
Pantaleo was ultimately not indicted for Garner’s death, sparking protests across the country.
In 2014, 12-year-old Ohio boy Tamir Rice was gunned down by white officer Timothy Loehman after receiving reports that a male had pulled out a gun and was aiming it at people.
The gun was later found to be fake, but a grand jury chose to not indict Loehman.
Ms Damond, a dual US-Australian citizen was to due be married to her fiancée (pictured) a month after her life was cut short
Damond, who was originally from Sydney, had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home in July 2017. Prosecutors argued her death is not a justifiable accident
Earlier on Tuesday, Justine’s fiancé Don Damond slammed her killer, telling reporter that her death exemplified a ‘complete disregard for the sanctity of life.’
‘Nearly two years ago my fiance, Justine Damond Ruszczyk, was shot dead in her pyjamas outside our home without warning as she walked up to a police car which she had summoned,’ Mr Damond said.
‘Ironically, the Minneapolis Police Department emblem on the squad door reads: “To protect with courage and to serve with compassion”.
‘Where were these values that night? That night there was a tragic lapse of care and complete disregard for the sanctity of life. The evidence in this case clearly showed an egregious failure of the Minneapolis Police Department.’
Noor was found guilty of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and was acquitted on the highest charge, second-degree murder.
He was immediately led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 7 and could face up to 25 years in prison.
The former cop showed no reaction, but his wife cried as the jury’s verdict was read at his trial.
During a press conference, Damond’s father, John Ruszczyk, described the process as a ‘painful journey’ but said he was ‘satisfied with the outcome’.
Noor’s attorney asked that he be released on bond pending sentencing, but prosecutors opposed that on the grounds of the seriousness of the case.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said it had concerns about Noor’s safety if he was free.
Damond, 40, was shot on July 15, 2017, shortly after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home.
Noor fired at Damond from the passenger seat of the police cruiser he was in with his partner, Matthew Harrity, when she emerged from her home.
The victim, a yoga instructor, had approached the cruiser after calling 911 twice to report a possible rape in the dark alley behind her home. No such assault was ever found to have occurred.
In court, prosecutor Amy Sweasy said Noor violated Minneapolis police training policies – and endangered the life of his partner and a teenage cyclist also present.
She dismissed speculation that Damond contributed to her own death.
‘He pulled (the gun). He pointed, he aimed, and he killed her,’ Ms. Sweasy said. ‘This is no accident. This is intentional murder,’ she said.
Noor had testified that he believed there was an imminent threat after he saw a cyclist stop near the police cruiser, heard a loud bang and saw Harrity’s ‘reaction to the person on the driver’s side raising her right arm.’
Noor added that when he reached from the cruiser’s passenger seat and shot Damond through the driver’s side window, it was because he thought his partner ‘would have been killed.’
He said that after Damond approached the cruiser, his partner screamed, ‘Oh, Jesus!’ and began fumbling to unholster his gun.
Then, Noor said he saw a blonde woman wearing a pink T-shirt raising her right arm at the driver’s window, identified her as a threat and fired.
The prosecutor, however, suggested that the officers should not have been surprised by a woman walking to their car, given that the 911 caller reporting the possible sexual assault was a woman.
Ms Damond, a dual US-Australian citizen was to due be married to her fiancée a month after her life was cut short.
Her death sparked anger and disbelief in the U.S. and Australia, cost the city’s police chief her job and contributed to the mayor’s electoral defeat a few months later.
Neither officer had their body cameras running when Ms Damond was shot, something Officer Harrity blamed on what he called a vague policy that didn’t require it.