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Attorneys for former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor on Wednesday asked a judge to give them access to a squad car to conduct an independent examination — citing the phases of the moon.

Noor is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the 

The motion alleges that the state "failed to preserve the squad car," where Noor was a passenger when he shot Ruszczyk, also known with the surname Damond, through the open driver's side window. Reached by phone, Noor's attorney Peter Wold declined to comment except to say that the squad car wasn't preserved. 

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office and Minneapolis City Attorney's Office both declined to comment. 

Noor's attorneys state in the motion that investigators "used more than one squad car for testing and analysis." 

They asked for access to a squad car to "independently gather information, make measurements and allow testing and analysis."

Noor's attorneys are asking the judge to order that they be given access to a squad car on Dec. 28, when they say the moon will be in the same phase as it was on the night Ruszczyk was killed. Wold declined to comment about testing or the moon phase. 

Noor's next scheduled court date is March 1. His jury trial is scheduled for April.

Crime, Law and Justice

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The shooting of Justine Ruszczyk and trial of former officer Mohamed Noor

Jon Collins

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Riham Feshir

Former police officer Mohamed Noor is scheduled to go on trial in April for shooting and killing of a 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk, also known with the surname Damond, in July 2017 last year.

Citing moon phases, Noor's defense team requests access to squad car in Rusczcyk case

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