Jury Selected In Mohamed Noor Trial
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- After more than a week's worth of efforts, a jury of 12 has finally been selected for the trial of a former Minneapolis Police officer who shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk Damond in July of 2017.
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor faces murder and manslaughter charges.
On Monday morning, a jury of 10 men and 2 women was seated. There are four alternates, two men and two women. Six of the jurors are people of color and four are immigrants.
Two are from the Philippines. One is a restaurant host and the other is an immigration services officer with the Department of Homeland security. The others are a Pakistani immigrant and an Ethiopian immigrant who works in the medical field.
Other jurors include a civil engineer, a gynecologist, a grocery store manager, a carpenter, a software developer, a man who works in the financial investment industry, a U.S. Navy veteran and a Minneapolis firefighter.
The four alternate jurors include a man who works with people who have mental health issues, a man who previously served on a civil trial, an unemployed business analyst and a retired Wells Fargo employee.
READ MORE: Noor Trial Judge Cautions Lawyers To Be Careful Questioning Potential Jurors
Opening statements have been scheduled for Tuesday morning. Judge Kathryn Quaintance hopes to rule on outstanding motions by Monday afternoon.
Last week, the prosecution team raised concerns about some of the language the defense is using, like "ambush of officers." They are worried it could plant seeds in the jurors' minds before the case even starts. The prosecution was also concerned about questions toward a doctor and EMT on the panel, saying the defense questions are using technical language from their professions. The prosecution wanted to make sure there are no "de facto experts" on the jury.
