Minnesota cop gets 12 years in prison for shooting dead innocent Australian yoga instructor who called 911 about a disturbance behind her home

Mohamed Noor was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for the July 15, 2017 killing of 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond – He must serve 8 years before he is eligible for parole.

Noor, 33, was convicted on April 30 of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the July 2017 killing of 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond  after she called 911

Justine, 40, a Sydney native living in Minneapolis,  called police to report a possible assault after she “heard a sound in the alley [behind her home]”

Noor read a statement in court apologizing for his ‘error’ that caused the tragedy

Defense team had proposed the judge sentence Noor to serve two weeks in jail every year on Damond’s birthday and anniversary of her death,  instead

Noor was convicted in April  30, of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but cleared of second-degree intentional murderthe judge imposed a sentence in line with what prosecutors had asked

Prelim reports show that when a squad car arrived, the officer in the passenger seat  identified as officer Mohammed Noor,  ‘shot Justine through the driver’s side window’

Both officers’ on the call claim their body cameras were not turned on, the squad camera did not capture the incident either

Minneapolis police never explained why the emergency line caller was shot or why the bodycams and dashcam were turned off, guaranteeing no footage, contrary to regulations

‘spiritual healer’ Justine Ruszczyk who goes by the name Justine Damond, was set to wed her American fiance, Don Damond,  50, in August of 2017

Former Minnesota cop Mohamed Noor [center], sat quietly at the defense table with hands clasped, staring straight ahead and showing no emotion as victim impact statements were read.

A former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison this morning for the fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian-American yoga teacher after she had called police to report a possible sexual assault.
Mohamed Noor, 33, was convicted on April 30 of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the 2017 killing 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond outside her home near Minneapolis.
Noor was acquitted of a more serious charge of second-degree intentional murder.
Although Noor’s lawyers had requested that his sentence be no longer than a year and a day in prison, Minnesota District Judge Kathryn Quaintance imposed a sentence that was in line with what prosecutors had requested.

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An emotional Noor [right] apologized for his ‘error’ that caused the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, 41 [left], an unarmed yoga instructor 

Jailed 12 years: Mohamed Noor reads a statement , before being sentenced Friday at Hennepin County District Court, Friday, in Minneapolis

‘The law does not allow license because someone is a good person,’ Quaintance said in imposing a sentence of 150 months. ‘Good people sometimes do bad things.’
An emotional Noor, his voice breaking as he spoke about the shooting for the first time, said he can’t apologize enough.
‘I have lived with this and I will continue to live with this,’ Noor said. ‘I caused this tragedy and it is my burden. I wish though that I could relieve that burden others feel from the loss that I caused. I cannot, and that is a troubling reality for me.’
Noor said from the moment he pulled the trigger he felt fear and when he saw her body on the ground he was horrified.
‘Seeing her there, I knew in an instant I was wrong,’ Noor said. ‘The depth of my error has only increased from that moment on. Working to save her life and watching her slip away is a feeling I can’t explain. … It leaves me sad, it leaves me numb, and feeling incredibly lonely. But none of that, none of those words capture what it truly feels like.’
Noor’s attorneys argued in a court filing ahead of Friday’s sentencing that nobody would benefit from a long sentence, and that being in prison would keep Noor from making amends for killing Damond by doing good works in the community.
They submitted letters of support that they said showed that Noor is a kind and peaceful man who has tried to be a bridge between Somali Americans in Minnesota and the larger community.
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Don Damond, Justine’s fiance [in court Friday], read a statement saying he relieves the moment of her death every time she sees the alley behind her home 

Zach Damond, the son of Justine’s fiance Don Damond, gets emotional while reading his victim impact statement

Minnesota District Judge Kathryn Quaintance (pictured) imposed a sentence on Noor that was in line with what prosecutors had requested

Tom Plunkett, Noor’s attorney, made the case for a lenient sentence saying the victim can’t be forgotten but what’s best for the community and Noor must also be considered.
‘I have never stood up at sentencing with anyone my entire career that’s done more or worked harder to be a good person, to earn the gifts he’s been given,’ Plunkett said. ‘That’s who Mohamed Noor is.’
But prosecutor Amy Sweasy called for the 12.5-year sentence recommended under state guidelines.
‘The law is not concerned necessarily with what’s good for the community,’ Sweasy said. ‘The court must give a sentence proportional in severity to the crime committed.’

Noor’s family react to his sentencing at Hennepin County District Court in Minneapolis Friday

Justine’s father John Ruszczyk [photo] in April, read a statement on Friday called her killing ‘an obscene act by an agent of the state’

Don Damond, Justine’s fiance, said in court Friday that every time he sees the alley where she walked barefoot and in her pajamas toward Noor’s police car he relives the moment.
‘In my mind I beg you to turn around,’ he said, speaking of a ‘lost future’ of decades filled with ‘love, family, joy and laughter.’ He said Justine was his soul mate and he misses her “every day, every moment.’
‘We both lived with our hearts open, caring for others,’ an emotional Don Damond said.
Ruszczyk Damond was a dual citizen of the US and Australia living in Minnesota. She was set to marry Don Damond, who is American, a month after the shooting.
Noor testified during his trial that a loud bang on the squad car scared him and his partner, and that he saw a woman at his partner’s window raising her arm. He said he fired to protect his partner’s life. But prosecutors criticized Noor for shooting without seeing a weapon or Damond’s hands, and disputed whether either of them really heard a bang.

Justine Damond [left], was shot and killed outside her house on a Saturday night in July 2017, by officer Mohammed Noor