Tuesday April 2, 2019
By JEFF BAENEN
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - About 75 potential jurors in the case of a former
Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Australian
woman answered written questions Monday about their own backgrounds and
experiences with people of Somali heritage.
Prosecutors and
attorneys for Mohamed Noor will use the questionnaires as they start
winnowing the jury pool down to 12 jurors and four alternates. Direct
questioning of the jurors begins Wednesday.Noor, 33, is charged
in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond in a case that drew
international attention, cost the police chief her job and forced major
revisions to the Minneapolis Police Department's policy on body cameras.
Damond was killed after she called 911 to report a possible sexual
assault behind her home.
Prosecutors
charged Noor with second-degree intentional murder, third-degree murder
and second-degree manslaughter, saying there is no evidence Noor faced a
threat that justified deadly force.
They must prove he acted
unreasonably when he shot Damond , a 40-year-old life coach with both
U.S. and Australian citizenship who was engaged to be married. Noor's
attorneys plan to argue that he used reasonable force and acted in
self-defense.
Members of a group called Justice for Justine said
Monday they are glad Noor is being prosecuted, but questioned whether
the case would have received the same rigorous investigation if he was
not Somali American and Damond was not white.
It's rare for police
officers to be charged in on-duty shootings . Alana Ramadan says she
feels Noor is being used as a "sacrificial lamb" because he's a
minority. Others called for vigorous investigations into all police
shooting cases, regardless of the victim's race.
In addition,
Noor's trial is being held in one of the smallest courtrooms in Hennepin
County and the judge has said graphic evidence will be shown only to
the jury, not the public.
Todd Schuman, a member of Justice for
Justine, called limited seating and restrictions on evidence "a First
Amendment violation that cripples public insight into the trial and is a
slap in the face to advocates who have spent years working for justice
in cases like these."
Later Monday, the Star Tribune reported that
Judge Kathryn Quaintance and Chief Judge Ivy Bernhardson issued an
order adding more media seating at trial, in response to concerns from
activists and journalists about public access. Seven seats will be added
to the courtroom, raising the number for media members from eight to
15. Six will be reserved for local outlets and nine for national or
international outlets.
Noor has refused to talk to investigators
and his attorneys haven't said whether he will testify at his trial,
which could last weeks. He did not respond to reporters' questions as he
and his attorneys arrived at the courthouse Monday.
The potential
jurors filled out a questionnaire during a half-day session. Questions
included whether jurors owned firearms and whether they have family or
friends who have protested government agencies.
Judge Quaintance
ordered that jurors' names be withheld during the trial, citing
threatening phone calls made to her chambers and public interest in the
case.
Noor's partner the night of the shooting, Officer Matthew
Harrity, told investigators he was driving a police SUV when he heard a
voice and a thump and caught a glimpse of someone outside his window.
Harrity said he was startled and thought his life was in danger. He said
he then heard a noise and turned to see that Noor, in the passenger
seat, had fired his gun past Harrity and hit Damond through the driver's
side window.
The officers did not turn on their body cameras until after the shooting, and there was no squad car video.
The
lack of video was widely criticized. Days later, the Police Department
strengthened its body camera policy. The shooting also raised questions
about the training of Noor, who previously worked in property
management.
Then-Chief Janee Harteau defended Noor's training and said he was suited to be on the street. Harteau was forced to resign.
Court
documents later revealed that training officers voiced concerns about
Noor's fitness for duty long before he shot Damond, but he was deemed
fit to serve.
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Associated Press writer Amy Forliti contributed to this report.