Ex-cop appeals murder conviction to Minnesota Supreme Court

This April 30, 2019 booking photo released by Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office shows Mohamed Noor after he was convicted Tuesday of manslaughter in the July 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia whose death bewildered and angered people in both countries. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of third-degree murder in the 2017 fatal shooting of an Australian woman is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to take his case.

Mohamed Noor is seeking to have his conviction in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond overturned after a Court of Appeals panel upheld it. Some legal experts say the third-degree murder charge applies only when a defendant’s actions put multiple people at risk, but the appellate panel said it can apply when a defendant’s actions are directed at one person.

The issue could have implications in the upcoming trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, as prosecutors seek to reinstate a third-degree murder charge in the death of George Floyd.