MN - Justine Damond, 40, fatally shot by Minneapolis LE, 15 July 2017 #3

From the link above:
"Noor brought up a time at training when he was hit by a paintball. "The most important takeaway for me is actions are better than reactions," he said."
I don't think this comment helps him at all. He got hit by a paintball, and now it seems to have made him trigger happy. Action vs Reaction. But a police officer HAS to be reactive for the very reason that he doesn't know what the situation is.
Is that all??? He was shot by a paintball?? I had wondered if the traumatic event in his life had to do with being caught in crossfire and almost died etc.

Don't tell me that paintball was pink and had blond hair. Now that would leave a scar in his memory.
 
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor testified Friday, April 26, that 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk said nothing as she approached his police squad, contradicting testimony by his former partner about what happened in the alley the night Noor shot Ruszczyk.

Officer Matthew Harrity, who sat in the driver's seat as Ruszczyk approached the squad from the back, testified earlier that he'd heard the woman "murmur" or make some kind of sound as she came up on the squad.





Noor trial: Noor says no sounds from Ruszczyk before shooting; ends his testimony
 
Without being in the courtroom, its hard to tell for sure, but from the reports, i don't think Noor did himself any favors with his testimony. In fact, I think he hurt his case. I'm a bit surprised actually. Maybe the defense was trying to get him up there, talk before the jury, humanize him. But his testimony is going to be shredded in closing arguments. He admits that due to a training incident he learned to be active instead of reactive with force. He claims he saw the fear in Harrity's eyes, which makes no sense in a dark car where they shouldn't have been looking at each other. Harrity, close to Justine, and in a better position to see and hear here, didn't shoot her or react abruptly. But Noor did.
 
"saw the fear in Harrity's eyes"

If I was on the jury I'd be pounding this BS home. In a dark car, with his partner turned away in response to the threat posed by an unarmed woman. smh
Statements like that are what a defense attorney tries to avoid. Its not really believable and all it does is give the prosecutor a chance at closing arguments to show that the defendant is making stuff up, which in turn puts all of his testimony in doubt.
 
Harrity testified that when they drove into the alley that night, he took the hood off his holster.

Harrity told the court that he was startled by a noise in the alley, pulled out his gun and pointed it down, then saw a figure out of the corner of his eye when Noor fired.

Noor trial: Cop says he heard thump before shot; horrific video played


Noor said he saw fear in Harrity's eyes and saw that Harrity was trying to pull his gun but was having difficulty.
Ex-cop: Saw woman at window, fired 'to stop threat'

Harrity said he pulled out his gun and had it pointed down. Noor tried to make it sound like Harrity was having difficulty pulling out his gun so Noor had to be the one to shoot Justine. But that's not what Harrity's testimony was.
 
Noor's voice often cracked as he testified, CBS Minnesota reported, and he repeatedly referred to Damond as "the threat." But Sweasy questioned why Noor perceived a threat at all, especially after he affirmed he couldn't see the woman's hands or a weapon and that she at one point stepped back.

noor20.jpg

A courtroom sketch of ex-Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor testifying in his murder trial Cedric Hohnstadt


"Did you just say 'the threat' took a couple steps back?" Sweasy asked, according to CBS Minnesota.

"Yes," Noor said.

Ex-cop testifies he couldn't see 911 caller's hands when he fatally shot her
 
The Latest: Neighbor cites loud noise before Damond shot

I wonder if this woman is suggesting she heard a noise from Justine hitting the car. If you smack the outside of a car, anyone in the car would hear a loud noise. But anyone outside of the car probably wouldn't hear much.

*Waiting for Mickey and her husband to do a recreation and report back to us
 
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I can't believe Noor testified. Are they going to appeal based on Incompetent Representation?
Not likely. It is always left up to the defendant as to whether he wants to testify or not. The judge will even advise them right before they are sworn in. Plus, if you are claiming that the reason you fired is because you felt threatened, you pretty much HAVE to take the stand. I am a bit surprised that the defense didn't have a better presentation though. But maybe Noor isn't being overly cooperative with them either.
 
The Latest: Neighbor cites loud noise before Damond shot

I wonder if this woman is suggesting she heard a noise from Justine hitting the car. If you smack the outside of a car, anyone in the car would hear a loud noise. But anyone outside of the car probably wouldn't hear much.

*Waiting for Mickey and her husband to do a recreation and report back to us

Well, neither one of us can hear very well, in the car, or out of the car. I will have to defer that one to the experts...
 
From my perspective the Prosecution has more than proven their case ---however, it remains to be seen if the jury will see it that way. It seems very difficult to convict a police officer in this type of circumstance--- Praying for justice for Justine.
 
Emanuel Kapelsohn, a use-of-force expert, testified for the defence Friday that he felt Mr Noor used reasonable force given the totality of the circumstances. “He had to react immediately,” Mr Kapelsohn said.

I can't find much else what this defence expert said. Usually only on News Corp sources. From the brief report, it doesn't sound like he had much to offer.

NEWS.com.au: Mohamed Noor trial: ‘No basis’ for shooting Justine Ruszczyk Damond. https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/no-choice-cop-explains-shooting-innocent-woman/news-story/a736bea49e02daf2b3c1259b277c72fc
 
When a use of force experts says, he felt Noor used reasonable force given the totality of the circumstances and that Noor had to react immediately it's going to be extremely hard for a jury to find him guilty. I don't know how this is going to land, but at this point, I personally don't think the prosecution has this in the bag. It's not over yet, so I guess we'll see.
jmo
 
The Defense Rests: Closing Arguments In Mohamed Noor Trial Expected Monday

The jury will be sequestered, meaning they won’t go home until a verdict is reached. A long deliberation could be a sign of something bad for the defense.

I don't agree with that. The defense will be lucky if they don't come back with a verdict within a couple of hours---and not in their favor.

There's really not a lot of evidence they have to go over.
 
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When a use of force experts says, he felt Noor used reasonable force given the totality of the circumstances and that Noor had to react immediately it's going to be extremely hard for a jury to find him guilty. I don't know how this is going to land, but at this point, I personally don't think the prosecution has this in the bag. It's not over yet, so I guess we'll see.
jmo

I guess it depends on if the jurors believed his testimony and give it weight. If I was on the jury, I'd think: 'He's a defense witness, he said what I would expect him to say for them', but I really wouldn't buy what he's selling because of everything presented to the contrary.

Hope we get a verdict on Monday!
 
I think one reason that most police officers are acquitted in police shootings is that juries want to give the officer the benefit of the doubt---i think it makes people uncomfortable to think that this law enforcement person would not have been in control of himself and just pulled that trigger without good reason. I am not optimistic about a guilty verdict in this case, though i hope i am wrong.
 

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