The Latest on the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman in 2017 (all times local):
5:40 p.m.
A judge and attorneys are winnowing the jury pool for the murder trial of a former Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an unarmed woman.
Another four prospective jurors were excused Wednesday afternoon for the trial of 33-year-old Mohamed Noor. A retired school principal was excused after she questioned why police would have to shoot someone. Also excused was a young woman who said she identified with the victim, 40-year-old life coach Justine Ruszczyk Damond. Two men were excused after saying they faced financial hardships staying for a potentially lengthy trial.
Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Damond, who had dual citizenship in the U.S. and Australia. She was engaged to a Minneapolis man.
So far, 16 potential jurors have been excused. Jury selection continues Thursday.
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12:50 p.m.
Six more potential jurors have been excused from the murder trial of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman when she approached his squad car after calling 911 to report a possible crime behind her home.
Attorneys and the judge agree Wednesday to excuse five potential jurors based on their written answers to a questionnaire. One person said the defendant, Mohamed Noor, “shouldn’t have been a cop” and should be “punished.”
Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old with dual citizenship in the U.S. and Australia.
Another potential juror, a young man whose uncle was shot in a gas station robbery, was questioned and excused after he said he found it “hard to understand why anyone would fire a weapon at another human and take their life.”
A total of 12 potential jurors have been excused so far. A pool of 75 potential jurors filled out questionnaires on Monday.
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12:10 a.m.
Jury selection is resuming in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Australian woman who had called 911 to report a possible assault.
Mohamed Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. Damond, a 40-year-old life coach, had approached Noor’s squad car in the alley behind her home when she was shot.
A pool of 75 potential jurors filled out questionnaires Monday . Attorneys for both sides and the judge agreed to dismiss six people on Tuesday based on their written answers to questions such as their experiences with a person of Somali heritage. Direct questioning starts Wednesday.
Noor is Somali-American. Damond was white.
