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U.S. NEWS Thursday 2 May 2019

Conviction for Minneapolis cop prompts questions about race

By AMY FORLITI acquitted of second-de- killed between 900 to 1,000
Associated Press gree intentional murder but people each year.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It's still faces the prospect of Since 2005, only 101 non-
believed to be the first time years in prison. federal officers have been
a Minnesota police offi- Noor testified that he and charged with murder or
cer has been convicted his partner heard a loud manslaughter in an on-
of murder for an on-duty bang on their squad car duty shooting, according
shooting. that startled them, and that to data compiled by Philip
With no video of Mohamed he fired "to stop the threat" Stinson, a criminologist at
Noor shooting Justine Rus- after he saw his partner's Bowling Green State Uni-
czyk Damond and conflict- terrified reaction and a versity. Some of those pros-
ing testimony about the woman appear at his part- ecutions are pending, but
moments leading up to her ner's window raising her to date, only 36 officers
death, some activists and arm. His partner testified have been convicted —
community leaders have that he hadn't yet assessed often for lesser offenses.
said race was a factor in whether there was a threat In Minnesota, only one
this case from the start. The himself. Prosecutors noted other officer has been
victim was white; the offi- that Noor hadn't even de- charged in a fatal shooting
cer is black. termined whether Damond in recent history. Jeronimo
From the moment Min- had a weapon before fir- Yanez, a suburban Latino
neapolis' top prosecutor ing. officer, was acquitted of
charged Noor, he's been When Noor testified, he manslaughter in the 2016
fighting the perception that spoke of his early years in death of black motorist Phi-
race played a role in his de- Somalia and time in a ref- lando Castile.
cision. He's rejected that, ugee camp before immi- Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor walks through Jurors in Noor's case were
but some say bias can be grating to the U.S. He also the skyway with his attorney Thomas Plunkett, right, on the way questioned about their
to court for the verdict Tuesday, April 30, 2019, in Minneapolis,
an underlying issue, even spoke of not being accept- Minn. views toward Somalis be-
for those who believe they ed when he first came to Associated Press fore being selected. Half of
are acting in good faith. Minnesota. At times, prose- the 12 jurors were people of
"We can't deny that there cutors referred to Damond that it comes in the wake of Hennepin County Attorney color, including immigrants.
is implicit racial bias in as a blond woman in a pink acquittals for officers who Mike Freeman rejected the One juror who spoke to
our society at large," said T-shirt, something that Osler took the lives of people of idea that race played a KARE-TV on the condition
Mark Osler, a law profes- said called attention to her color, both in Minnesota role. that his name not be pub-
sor at the University of St. race. and nationwide," Omar "We look at each case lished said he respects the
Thomas School of Law in Minnesota's welcoming added. "We must have the based on the facts and Somali community and
St. Paul, Minnesota. "Some- refugee programs have same level of accountabil- the evidence and the law Noor seemed like a good
times that enters into the made the state a mag- ity and justice in all officer- that's in front of us. And I guy and a good police of-
decisions that prosecutors net for Somalis fleeing civil involved killings and ad- will stand by what we have ficer.
make. Sometimes that's war, including families like dress violence-based train- done," he told reporters im- "But we determined he
going to enter into the de- Noor's, and Minnesota is ing for police officers." mediately after Tuesday's committed a crime. And in
cision that jurors make. The home to the nation's larg- The Minnesota-based So- verdict. the end, no one is above
hard part is trying to figure est population of Somali mali American Police Asso- When asked how Noor's the law," the juror said,
out when that is true." immigrants. Noor's hiring in ciation issued a statement case was different from adding: "It was two sec-
Noor, 33, was convicted 2015 was celebrated by saying it believes institu- fatal police shootings in onds time, he made a bad
Tuesday of third-degree Minneapolis leaders eager tional prejudice "heavily which Freeman did not file mistake, and even if you
murder and second-de- to diversify the police force influenced" Noor's convic- charges, he said: "The evi- have a split-second de-
gree manslaughter in the in a city that is 64% white. tion and that Freeman had dence showed that the of- cision, you're still respon-
July 2017 death of Da- Rep. Ilhan Omar — a So- "other motives" when he ficer acted unreasonably." sible for the decisions you
mond, a 40-year-old dual mali American who is also charged Noor. Police officers in the U.S. make."Noor, who was fired
citizen of the U.S. and Aus- from Minneapolis — tweet- "Unfortunately it's a system are rarely charged in on- from the police force after
tralia who was unarmed ed Wednesday that Noor's that seems to work for cer- duty shootings, much less being charged, is sched-
when she approached guilty verdict was "an im- tain people and not for ev- convicted. A database uled to be sentenced June
Noor's squad car after call- portant step towards justice erybody. And it's something published by the Washing- 7. His attorneys have not
ing 911 to report a possible and a victory for all who we need to live with," said ton Post shows that since commented on the verdict
sexual assault in the alley oppose police brutality." Waheid Siraach, a spokes- the start of 2015, U.S. po- and have not said whether
behind her home. He was "It cannot be lost, however, man for the association. lice officers have shot and they will appeal.q