Investigation An application for a search warrant to search the alley where the shooting occurred, referring to the shooting incident, stated "Upon police arrival, a female 'slaps' the back of the patrol squad. After that, it is unknown to BCA agents what exactly happened, but the female became deceased in the alley." Among items collected were fingerprints from the rear cargo door window of the squad car. Hours after the shooting, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators controversially obtained a second search warrant and carried out a search of Damond's home for evidence, including "'bodily fluids, controlled substances, and writings". They did not take anything from the property. Noor refused to speak with investigators, invoking his
right against self-incrimination. Noor and Harrity were then on paid administrative leave. Minneapolis Chief of Police Janeé Harteau was on vacation leave at the time of Damond's killing and returned to Minneapolis four days later. At a press conference after her return, Harteau said, "Justine didn't have to die...The death of Justine should not have happened." Regarding Noor's refusal to speak to investigators, Harteau said, "I would prefer Officer Noor would speak." In February 2018, a grand jury was convened to investigate Damond's death. On February 15, 2018, Harrity appeared before the grand jury.
Trial On March 20, 2018, a warrant was issued for
third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges, and Noor turned himself in to police. He also resigned from the Minneapolis Police Department. Bail was set at $400,000, and Noor was released from jail on March 22. With the approval of the court, prosecutors later upgraded the charges against Noor to second-degree intentional murder. On April 30, 2019, following a
jury trial, Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Under Minnesota law, third-degree murder is defined as "a person causing the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and without regard for human life, but without intent to cause the death of any person"; second-degree manslaughter is defined as "whoever by culpable negligence, whereby he creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes the chance of causing death or great bodily harm to another person, causes the death of another is guilty of manslaughter in the second degree". After the verdict, his bail was revoked and he was taken to jail to await sentencing. The Somali-American Police Association issued a statement after the verdict claiming that racial bias contributed to Noor's conviction. On June 7, 2019, Noor was sentenced to 12½ years in prison.
Appeal On February 1, 2021, the
Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed Noor's conviction of third-degree murder. Noor then appealed to the
Minnesota Supreme Court, arguing that the facts did not support a conviction on that charge. On September 15, 2021, the
Minnesota Supreme Court reversed Noor's third-degree murder conviction on the basis that the state failed to prove that he committed murder with a "depraved mind" which is a "generalized indifference to human life" as required for the offense of third-degree murder. As the conduct in this case did not meet that standard, the Supreme Court directed the trial court to vacate the conviction of third-degree murder and sentence Noor for the lesser offense of second-degree manslaughter.
Sentence On
remand following the successful appeal, the trial court during an October 2021 proceeding resentenced Noor to 57 months in prison, the maximum presumptive sentence under Minnesota's
sentencing guidelines. Noor's release was not an unusual move in Minnesota, where most defendants are moved to supervised release after serving two-thirds of their sentence incarcerated. Damond's family expressed disappointment in the length of Noor's incarceration calling it "trivial" and "disrespectful" to community expectations about improvements to police behavior and culture. == Civil case ==