Ex-cop who shot dead Aussie woman walks free
The ex-police officer who killed an unarmed Australian woman in the US has been released from jail after just three years.
Former Minneapolis Police officer Mohamed Noor, 36, was released just 18 days before the fifth anniversary of Justine Ruszczyk Damond's death.
It comes months after his murder conviction was overturned and he was re-sentenced on a lesser charge.
On July 15, 2017, Ms Damond, a 40-year-old dual US-Australian citizen and yoga teacher who was engaged to be married, called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in an alley behind her home.
Noor testified in 2019 that he and his partner were driving slowly in an alley when a loud bang on their police SUV made him fear for their lives.
He said a woman appeared at the partner's driver's side window and raised her right arm before he fired a shot from the passenger seat to stop what he thought was a threat.
At the time, he said his intent was to "stop the threat" and said when he realised he had shot an innocent woman he felt "great pain".
Ex-cop's release 'painful' for Justine's family
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections said Noor was released on Monday (US time) and he will be on supervised release until January 24, 2024.
Ms Damond's mother told the Associated Press that Noor's release being so close to her death was painful.
"We're very disappointed. But we're not surprised," Maryan Heffernan said.
"We've been watching events in Minneapolis from miles away and we're still bewildered about the charge being dropped and we're still bewildered about the culture of the Minneapolis Police Department."
After Noor’s conviction, Minneapolis agreed to pay $20 million to Damond’s family.
Ms Damond's death sparked outrage in both Australia and the US.
Since Noor’s conviction, former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, a Black man who was pinned to the pavement under Chauvin’s knee.
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