Former MPD Officer Noor To Make Court Appearance Wednesday
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A former Minneapolis police officer is expected to stand before a judge Wednesday, charged with murder.
Mohamed Noor was charged Tuesday in the July 2017 shooting of Justine Damond. He's expected to make his first appearance before Judge Kathryn Quaintance at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at a courtroom located at the Hennepin County jail.
Judge Kathryn L. Quaintance has been assigned to Noor's first appearance. Appointed in 2000, she has experience presiding over many felony cases in the county @WCCO #JustineDamond #wcco pic.twitter.com/Sy4Xjx5abT
— Mary McGuire (@mcguirereports) March 21, 2018
Damond had called 911 minutes before she was shot about a possible sexual assault behind her home.
A criminal complaint says both Noor and partner Matthew Harrity had pulled guns before Damond approached them -- only Noor fired.
Noor has been free until this Tuesday, when he turned himself into authorities.
Noor is believed to be the second officer in modern Minnesota history to be charged for an on-duty shooting. The first was Jeronimo Yanez in Philando Castile's shooting death. He was acquitted in June @WCCO #wcco pic.twitter.com/Yw1hGl7rt2
— Mary McGuire (@mcguirereports) March 21, 2018
Related: A Timeline Of Events In The Justine Damond Shooting
It's been 8 months since that night in south Minneapolis when Justine Damond was shot and killed, and Tuesday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced his charging decision in this case.
After calling a grand jury, Noor was charged with one count of third-degree murder and one count of second-degree manslaughter.
Freeman says Noor did not act reasonably in his actions and abused his authority to use deadly force.
"Officer Noor did not act reasonably, did not act objectively reasonably, and abused his authority to use deadly force," Noor said. "He reaches across, in front of his partner, shoots a gun at an object that he can't see. That's evidence of a depraved mind, in my view."
Related: NAACP Praises Noor Charges, Notes 'Vastly Different Outcomes' In Jamar Clark Case
Noor refused to talk to investigators, so most of the crucial information in the criminal complaint comes from his partner, Matthew Harity.
Harrity claims both he and Noor got spooked when Damond approached their squad car in the alley that night. He pulled his gun to his ribcage right before Noor reached across him and fired one shot.
That court document also reveals the final moments of Justine Damond's life. Holding a gunshot wound on her stomach, Damond said "I'm dying" or "I'm dead."
Both officers performed CPR on Damond, but she died in the alley.
Officer Noor's attorney Tom Plunkett released a statement, saying in part, "the facts will show that Officer Noor acted as he has been trained and consistent with established departmental policy."
The Minneapolis Police Union is not commenting on the specifics of the case. However, a statement said in part: "We recognize the tragic shooting of Justine Damond has greatly impacted, not only her family and friends, our membership, but also our community."
It went on to say "the union will wait for the case to proceed before making further comment."
Minneapolis police fired Noor Tuesday once the charges were made public.