
— With AAP.
1. “He was a good guy.” Juror in Justine Damond’s murder trial opens up about the case.
One of the jurors who helped put away an American police officer over the shooting death of Australian woman Justine Damond, has reflected on the jury’s decision to find Mohamed Noor guilty of third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.
The juror, who spoke anonymously to Minneapolis radio station KARE 11, told radio host Lou Raguse that Noor “seemed very genuine”.
“I don’t think he was a bad guy. I think he was a good guy. By all accounts during the trial, it seemed like he had good training, was a good cop. And unfortunately, he just made the worst mistake he could in about two or three seconds time. I feel bad for the guy. I feel bad for his family,” the juror said.
Mamamia’s daily news podcast The Quicky speaks to a reporter who was in the courtroom when the Justine Damond verdict was handed down.
The juror said though it was a mistake, Noor was not above the law.
“Even if you have a split-second decision, you’re still responsible for the decisions you make. Police officers have to adhere to their training. Part of that is following the mental checklist of, “is this person a threat?” And clearly that wasn’t followed here.”
Katherine Hamburg, member of the Justice for Justine group, told Mamamia‘s daily news podcast The Quicky Noor’s testimony at the trial appeared “very rehearsed” and “unemotional”.
“It was unbelievable to us that he never acknowledged the presence of Justine’s family and said ‘I am so sorry this has happened’.”
Damond, 40, formerly of Sydney, was shot dead by Noor when she approached his police vehicle in an alley behind her Minneapolis home.
The life coach and yoga instructor, who lived in Minneapolis and was weeks away from marrying her American fiance, called police just before midnight on July 15, 2017, after she heard a woman’s screams and feared a sexual assault was taking place near her home.
In 911 transcripts released shortly after her death, she can be heard telling emergency operators she wasn’t sure if a woman outside her house was “having sex or being raped”.
Eight minutes later, at 11.35 pm, Damond called 911 again to ensure police were still coming to the scene. She confirmed her address and told the operator the woman in question was still screaming.
Damond was unarmed and dressed in her pyjamas when she approached Noor’s police vehicle in the dark.
Noor’s partner Officer Matthew Harrity was “startled” and “perceived that his life was in danger” when he heard a “muffled voice or whisper” and thump on the squad car when Damond suddenly appeared, according to prosecutors.
Top Comments
Mohamed Noor would have done himself a huge favour if he'd spoken to investigators immediately after the attack. He refused to be interviewed, which is his right but I think a simple statement of regret, without admitting culpability, would have gone a long way to giving a favourable impression. By refusing to speak, he gave the impression that he was above the law. Not a good look when you've killed someone.