MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman who called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home was released from prison on parole Monday, months after his murder conviction was overturned and he was resentenced on a lesser charge.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections website said Mohamed Noor, 36, was placed under the supervision of Hennepin County Community Corrections. He was freed 18 days shy of the fifth anniversary of the July 15, 2017, fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old dual U.S.-Australian citizen and yoga teacher who was engaged to be married.
Corrections Department spokesman Nicholas Kimball confirmed that Noor was released Monday morning. He said he couldn’t confirm where Noor will be living, but that released offenders are generally supervised by the county where they live. He said Noor was held in North Dakota for most of his sentence and had no disciplinary issues in prison.
Noor’s attorney, Thomas Plunkett, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. On Friday he said he wanted to respect Noor’s privacy.
Noor was initially convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter, but last year the Minnesota Supreme Court tossed out his murder conviction and 12 1/2-year sentence, saying that charge didn’t apply to the case. He was resentenced to four years and nine months on the manslaughter charge.