Minnesota cop gets 12 years in prison for shooting dead innocent Australian yoga instructor who called 911 about a disturbance outside her home
- Mohamed Noor, 33, was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for the 2017 killing of 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond
- Noor was convicted in April of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but cleared of second-degree intentional murder
- Noor read a statement in court apologizing for his 'error' that caused the tragedy
- Defense team had proposed the judge sentence Noor to serve two weeks in jail every year on Damond's birthday and anniversary of her death
- Judge instead imposed a sentence in line with what prosecutors had asked
A former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison this morning for the fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian-American yoga teacher after she had called police to report a possible sexual assault.
Mohamed Noor, 33, was convicted on April 30 of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the 2017 killing 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond outside her home near Minneapolis.
Noor was acquitted of a more serious charge of second-degree intentional murder.
Although Noor's lawyers had requested that his sentence be no longer than a year and a day in prison, Minnesota District Judge Kathryn Quaintance imposed a sentence that was in line with what prosecutors had requested.
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, pictured with his hair grown out, reads a statement at Hennepin County District Court Friday, June 7, 2019, in Minneapolis, before being sentenced to 12 years in prison
An emotional Noor (left) apologized for his 'error' that caused the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, 41 (right), an unarmed yoga instructor
Noor, pictured listening to impact statements in court Friday, must serve two thirds of his sentence before he is eligible for parole
'The law does not allow license because someone is a good person,' Quaintance said in imposing a sentence of 150 months. 'Good people sometimes do bad things.'
An emotional Noor, his voice breaking as he spoke about the shooting for the first time, said he can't apologize enough.
'I have lived with this and I will continue to live with this,' Noor said. 'I caused this tragedy and it is my burden. I wish though that I could relieve that burden others feel from the loss that I caused. I cannot, and that is a troubling reality for me.'
Noor said from the moment he pulled the trigger he felt fear and when he saw her body on the ground he was horrified.
'Seeing her there, I knew in an instant I was wrong,' Noor said. 'The depth of my error has only increased from that moment on. Working to save her life and watching her slip away is a feeling I can't explain. ... It leaves me sad, it leaves me numb, and feeling incredibly lonely. But none of that, none of those words capture what it truly feels like.'
Noor's attorneys argued in a court filing ahead of Friday's sentencing that nobody would benefit from a long sentence, and that being in prison would keep Noor from making amends for killing Damond by doing good works in the community.
They submitted letters of support that they said showed that Noor is a kind and peaceful man who has tried to be a bridge between Somali Americans in Minnesota and the larger community.
Don Damond, Justine's fiance (pictured in court Friday) read a statement saying he relieves the moment of her death every time she sees the alley behind her home
Zach Damond, the son of Justine Ruszczyk Damond's fiance Don Damond, gets emotional while reading his victim impact statement
Minnesota District Judge Kathryn Quaintance (pictured) imposed a sentence on Noor that was in line with what prosecutors had requested
Tom Plunkett, Noor's attorney, made the case for a lenient sentence saying the victim can't be forgotten but what's best for the community and Noor must also be considered.
'I have never stood up at sentencing with anyone my entire career that's done more or worked harder to be a good person, to earn the gifts he's been given,' Plunkett said. 'That's who Mohamed Noor is.'
But prosecutor Amy Sweasy called for the 12.5-year sentence recommended under state guidelines.
'The law is not concerned necessarily with what's good for the community,' Sweasy said. 'The court must give a sentence proportional in severity to the crime committed.'
Noor's family react to his sentencing at Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis Friday,
Justine's father John Ruszczyk (pictured in April) read a statement on Friday called her killing 'an obscene act by an agent of the state'
Don Damond, Justine's fiance, said in court Friday that every time he sees the alley where she walked barefoot and in her pajamas toward Noor's police car he relives the moment.
'In my mind I beg you to turn around,' he said, speaking of a 'lost future' of decades filled with 'love, family, joy and laughter.' He said Justine was his soul mate and he misses her "every day, every moment.'
'We both lived with our hearts open, caring for others,' an emotional Don Damond said.
Ruszczyk Damond was a dual citizen of the US and Australia living in Minnesota. She was set to marry Don Damond, who is American, a month after the shooting.
Noor testified during his trial that a loud bang on the squad car scared him and his partner, and that he saw a woman at his partner's window raising her arm. He said he fired to protect his partner's life. But prosecutors criticized Noor for shooting without seeing a weapon or Damond's hands, and disputed whether either of them really heard a bang.
Noor (pictured in his mugshot) had been held since his conviction in the most secure unit at the state's maximum security prison
Justine's father, John Ruszczyk, in a statement read in court, asked for the maximum sentence and called her killing 'an obscene act by an agent of the state.'
'Justine's death has left me incomplete - it is as if I have lost a limb or a leg,' he said in the statement. 'I have lost my daughter, I have lost those private conversations over tea.'
Noor sat quietly at the defense table with hands clasped, staring straight ahead and showing no emotion as victim impact statements were read.
The defense team proposed to Judge Quaintance that she creatively sentence Noor to turn himself in to a county detention facility for a week every year on the anniversary of Damond's death and on her birthday while he was on probation. They also proposed an annual period of community service.
Under Minnesota's sentencing guidelines, Noor's presumptive sentence for third-degree murder was 12.5years, although the judge had the flexibility to impose a sentence anywhere from about 11 to 15 years without providing justification.
Noor had been held since his conviction in the most secure unit at the state's maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights for his own safety, Corrections Department spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald said Thursday.
He must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
