Attorneys for Former MN Officer who Fatally Shot Woman During 911 Response Want 3.5-Year Sentence

Attorneys for former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor filed court documents Thursday requesting leniency when he is resentenced next week for fatally shooting Justine Ruszczyk Damond.

Defense attorneys Thomas Plunkett and Peter Wold revealed several new details of Noor's life behind bars in their appeal for a prison term of about 3 ⅓ years, much of which already has been served, the Star-Tribune reports.

"Mr. Noor has shown to be a model prisoner," they wrote. "He has spent his time giving back to the community he has found himself in, to the extent he is able to, given the pandemic restrictions. Mr. Noor has demonstrated that he is ready to return to 'normal' society and will continue assisting those in need around him. Continuing to keep Mr. Noor imprisoned would be unnecessary if the goal of this Court is reformative justice."

Noor, 35, will be resentenced Oct. 21 after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in September to overturn his murder conviction and send his case back to the court.

Jurors found Noor guilty in 2019 of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for shooting Damond while responding to her 911 call about a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her south Minneapolis home. Noor was sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison on the murder count and entered prison on May 2, 2019.