By David K. Li -
NBC News
A judge on Thursday sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor to 57 months in prison, the longest possible sentence under his sentence, for gunning to death a woman who had called 911 for help in 2017.
Noor had previously been convicted of third degree murder in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond on July 15, 2017 and sentenced to 12 1/2 years, but the state Supreme Court overturned the sentence last month.
Former agent Mohamed Noor is about to take a seat to learn his new sentence for the death of a woman who called 911 in Minneapolis, on Thursday, October 21, 2021. Elizabeth Flores / AP
That left the main charge against him with a second-degree murder conviction, which led to the scheduling of the hearing on Thursday to announce his new sentence.
Noor and her partner, Matthew Harrity, went to the Damond neighborhood after the victim, a 40-year-old Australian woman, believed she heard a woman being sexually assaulted screaming for help.
As the officers entered a nearby alley, Damond approached the officers' vehicle from the side where Harrity was sitting.
Noor claimed to have heard Harrity yell "Oh Jesus!"
This caused him to draw his service weapon and push his partner across his chest to clear his view.
"He said he wanted to talk and shot him," says Rocío Sifuentes about her sister's death.
Oct. 20, 202106: 25
"I fired a shot," Noor acknowledged to the jurors, adding: "My intention was to stop the threat and save my partner's life."
The state Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors did not prove Noor acted with a "depraved mind, disregarding human life," a necessary element to convict him of third-degree murder.
Prosecutors had argued that Noor was a fit because his fatal shot at Damond could have also injured Harrity or a passing cyclist.
The high court ruled that it was clear that Noor was only targeting the woman he killed.
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The city of Minneapolis agreed to indemnify Damond's family with $ 20 million.
Family forgiveness
"I still cry very often and miss her deeply. I will always love her," Don Damond, the woman's husband, told the court by teleconference.
"I have no doubt that she would have forgiven you, Mohamed, for your inability to manage your own emotions that night," he added.
In his brief statement to the court, Noor again asked for forgiveness.
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"I am deeply grateful for Mr. Damond's forgiveness. I am deeply sorry for the pain I have caused that family," he said.
Hennepin County Judge Kathryn Quaintance acknowledged Noor's record as a model inmate, but said his conduct that night was worth the maximum penalty, namely 57 months.
"He shot through the nose of his partner. He endangered a bicyclist and the residents of a surrounding home community on a summer Saturday night. One of the households was entertaining guests on a porch adjacent to the shots," he said.
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Under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, Noor - in good standing - is eligible for supervised release after serving two-thirds of his time.
He was convicted on April 30, 2019 and immediately placed in preventive detention.
Thus, it could be released in mid-2022.