MINNEAPOLIS _ The ex-Minneapolis police officer charged with murder and manslaughter in the July shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond made his first court appearance Wednesday, where his bail was set amid a room full of supporters.
Mohamed Noor, 33, remains jailed after Judge Kathryn Quaintance set his bail at $400,000 on the condition that he turn over his passport, surrender his firearms and ammunition and refrain from contacting his partner, Matthew Harrity, the lone witness in the shooting that drew international outrage. Bail is set at $500,000 without conditions.
"Officer Noor, like any other person charged with a crime in America, is presumed innocent until proven guilty," Quaintance said. "If he has a trial it will be in a court of law, not in the media or in the streets."
Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, the slight, soft-spoken Noor said little other than to spell his name and confirm his address for the judge as dozens of people looked on from the small courtroom at the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility.
Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Amy Sweasy argued that Noor's bail remain high, saying they had "credible evidence" last fall that Noor was trying to leave the country and said she had spoken with a witness who "offered to hide him out."
"There were concerns in the fall that Mr. Noor had left the country or the jurisdiction," she said.
Noor's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, decried the bail amount as a "punitive, face-saving measure." He asked Quaintance to release Noor on his own recognizance on the condition that he promise to appear and turn over his passport. He said Noor never attempted to leave the country, and that claims were based on "bad information." He said Noor first came to the United States at age 5 when his family escaped the civil war in Somalia. He attended school in Minnesota through college.
"He has no connection to any other place," Plunkett said. "Your Honor, Mr. Noor is an American."
Noor's next court appearance is scheduled for May 8.
Noor was arrested and charged Tuesday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of Damond, who called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her south Minneapolis home. When she approached the squad Noor, who was sitting in the passenger seat, fired across his partner Harrity, striking Damond in the abdomen. She died at the scene. Noor is no longer employed with the department as of Tuesday, although it's unclear whether he left voluntarily or was fired.
