MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - 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.
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