What we learned in court Tuesday in Mohamed Noor's murder trial

Testimony may be nearing completion in the former Minneapolis police officer's murder trial.

April 24, 2019 at 4:50AM
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, center, is accompanied by his attorneys Peter Wold, not pictured, and Thomas Plunkett, right, as he walks towards the Hennepin County Government Center for opening arguments of his trial Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Minneapolis, MN.] DAVID JOLES •david.joles@startribune.com Opening arguments scheduled to begin in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor in the shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, with attorney Thomas Plunkett. It's unclear whether Noor will testify. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Testimony may be nearing completion in former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor's murder trial. Here are Tuesday's noteworthy developments:

  • Prosecutors are expected to call their final witnesses on Wednesday, while the defense plans to call three witnesses. It's unclear whether Noor will testify.
  • Attorneys on Tuesday began finalizing instructions that will be given to jurors before they deliberate.
  • Chris Olson, an assistant special agent in charge with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, testified that he briefly spoke to a neighbor the day after Damond was shot. The neighbor had reported a disoriented woman in the area the night Damond was killed. He admitted he never investigated the matter and thought it was irrelevant until an investigator with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office discovered that Noor and his partner, Matthew Harrity, had responded to the neighbor's 911 call.
  • Olson admitted he may have introduced the word "slap" into the investigation in a conversation with a police sergeant about what apparently startled Noor and Harrity at the scene. He previously said the sergeant originated the term. Prosecutors contend the slap did not occur.
  • BCA investigators staged a re-creation of the shooting at a gun range in Hutchinson, Minn. An investigator seated in the passenger seat fired a gun from a police SUV at a target outside the driver's side window. A mannequin was seated behind the wheel, where Harrity sat when Noor fired the fatal bullet.
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