Ex-cop’s murder verdict reversed in Australian woman’s death

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed the third-degree murder conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in 2017.

Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. But he appealed the murder conviction, saying the charge was meant for cases in which a defendant’s actions are directed at more than one person.

The court’s ruling Wednesday could give Derek Chauvin grounds to appeal his third-degree murder conviction in George Floyd’s death, but that would have little tangible impact since Chauvin was also convicted of the more serious count of second-degree murder.