Mohamed Noor, 33, is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Photo / City of Minneapolis
Mohamed Noor, 33, is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Photo / City of Minneapolis
A former police officer who shot and killed Australian woman Justine Damond outside her Minneapolis home last year was grimly silent in a brief court appearance today.
Mohamed Noor, 33, is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the July 15 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.
Assistant Hennepin CountyAttorney Amy Sweasy told Judge Kathryn Quaintance on Tuesday that no plea negotiations were under way.
She said prosecutors had been providing evidence to the defence as part of pre-trial procedures.
Noor's lawyer has filed documents indicating the ex-officer will plead not guilty, arguing that the shooting was self-defence and involved a reasonable use of force.
Prosecutors say rookie officer Noor was in a squad car's passenger seat with his partner when he shot Damond through the open driver's side window after she approached the vehicle.
Mohamed Noor, 33, is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Photo / City of Minneapolis
The 40-year-old life coach and yoga instructor, from Sydney, had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her home.
She was unarmed and wearing her pyjamas when she was shot in the stomach. Despite frantic attempts to save her, she died at the scene.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman has said there is no evidence that Noor encountered a threat that justified using deadly force.
Officer Matthew Harrity, who was driving the patrol car, has previously said the men were startled by someone banging on their vehicle.
Noor was released on bail, set at $520,000, in March.
Third-degree murder in the United States is typically defined as homicide committed with the intention of causing bodily harm, but not necessarily death.
Second-degree manslaughter occurs when a defendant "recklessly causes death".
Damond had lived with her American fiance Don Damond for two years before her death.
She was killed just weeks before the couple were due to be married, but had already taken her partner's name. He was out of town on a business trip on the night of her death.
Damond and her family in Australia have hired Robert Bennett, one of the most successful lawyers in Minneapolis in cases of alleged police misconduct.
The twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul have been rocked by police shootings in recent years. Race is a central issue and protests involving Black Lives Matter and other groups are common.
