What lies ahead in the Mohamed Noor case?

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman points to a reporter
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman points to a reporter for a question inside the Hennepin County Government Center on Tuesday, March 20, 2018.
Evan Frost | MPR News

Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor has been charged with third-degree murder in the shooting death of 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk. Noor turned himself in earlier this week after an arrest warrant was issued. It appears to be the first time a Minneapolis officer has been charged in a fatal shooting while on duty.

In a press conference outlining the charges, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman described the events leading up to the shooting and said that there was no evidence that Noor encountered a threat that justified his use of deadly force.

MPR's Mike Mulcahy talked with three guests about the legal angles in the case — and how infrequently police officers are found guilty of murder or manslaughter for the on-duty killing of civilians.

• Susan Gaertner is a former Ramsey County Attorney now with the Minneapolis law firm of Gray Plant Mooty.

• Melvin Welch is a defense attorney at the Welch Law Firm.

• Philip Stinson is an associate professor of criminology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

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