Former cop Noor appeals murder conviction
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor is appealing his murder and manslaughter convictions in the 2017 shooting death of 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk.
Noor's attorneys say the appeal will focus on whether the district court limited Noor's right to present a complete defense.
Attorney Thomas Plunkett released a statement Tuesday saying the appeal will suggest Hennepin County District Judge Kathryn Quaintance allowed prosecutorial misconduct and gave improper instructions to jurors related to a third-degree murder charge.
Noor is believed to be the first police officer in Minnesota to be convicted in an on-duty fatal shooting.
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His defense team had alluded to its intention to appeal Noor's April 30 conviction. He was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison in June.
Noor has been transferred from Minnesota for his own safety, a spokesperson from the state Department of Corrections confirmed. She said his location was private information, and would not reveal where he'd been placed as part of an agreement with other states’ prisons.
Noor shot Ruszczyk, also known as Justine Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, in the alley behind her home on July 15, 2017, after the 40-year-old called 911 to report what she thought was a woman being assaulted.