MN Ex-Officer Released on Parole after Fatal 2017 Shooting

NBC News reports 36-year-old Mohamed Noor, an ex-police officer from Minneapolis, has been released from prison on parole today. On July 15th, 2017, Noor fatally shot 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk, a dual US-Australian citizen, who had called 911 in fear that there had been a sexual assault behind her house. Upon arriving in their squad car, CNN reports, Officers Noor and Matthew Harrity “were startled by a loud noise” before Ruszczyk became visible. When she moved toward their car with her arm raised, Noor shot through the passenger’s window into Ruszczyk’s abdomen and killed her.

Furious reactions from the US and Australian public resulted in Minneapolis’s police chief resigning, says CNN, and Noor was sentenced by jury to twelve and a half years in prison for charges of third-degree ‘depraved mind murder’ and manslaughter. The third-degree murder charge was rescinded earlier this year, reducing his sentence to four years and nine months, and the last third of that period is “eligible for supervised release.” NBC News adds that Noor served most of his time in North Dakota and “had no disciplinary issues in prison,” which contributed to the accelerated parole by Minnesota precedence.

Minneapolis paid $20 million to Ruszczyk’s family after Noor’s conviction in 2019, according to NBC News. CNN reached out to the attorney of Ruszczyk’s fiancé Don Damond for comment today, but have not yet received any word.