First of all I’d like to thank the Friends of Lake Elmo library for a wonderful reception. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to so many great people. Murder Book and The I-94 Murders continue to sell well, and I love talking about both. Thank you all! UPCOMING EVENTS:
It’s time to have a conversation about justice and the Mohamed Noor conviction. A New York Times headline recently read: A Black Officer, a White Woman, a Rare Murder Conviction. Is It ‘Hypocrisy,’ or Justice? On July 15, 2017, Justine Ruszczyk, (also known as Justine Damond), was shot and killed by Mohamed Noor, a Somali-American Minneapolis Police Department officer. Justine, a 40-year-old Australian-American yoga instructor, had called 9-1-1 to report the possible sexual assault of a woman in an alley behind her house. The location was West 55th Street alley, between Washburn and Xerxes Avenues in an area known as Fulton in south Minneapolis. Mohamed Noor was arrested and charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter and 3rd-degree murder following an eight-month investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. On April 30, 2019, Mohamed Noor was convicted of 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter but acquitted of intentional 2nd-degree murder. Three days later, the City of Minneapolis awarded $20 million to the family of Justine (Damond) Rusczcyk for violation of her civil rights. The shooting occurred only weeks after a high-profile manslaughter trial acquittal in the 2016 police shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Philando, a 32-year-old African American, was pulled over while driving in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and killed by Jeronimo Yanez, a St. Anthony, Minnesota Latino police officer. Philando’s family was awarded $3 million. The shooting of Philando was clearly not justified. Differences: Philando had a gun, but keep in mind, Philando had warned the officer he had a gun. Philando was in a vehicle with his partner, who was facing 2nd and 4th degree assault charges, but there is no indication the officer was aware of her pending charges. Mohamed Noor reached over his partner to shoot Justine while she was approaching the squad car. He didn’t have a clear view of who he was shooting. Similarities: Both police officers were young minority officers who were clearly frightened over the situation they were facing. The shootings of both Philando and Justine exacerbated existing tensions and attracted national and international press. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has taken significant criticism over being “cop friendly” in their investigation of both shootings. The County Attorney in the Noor case was particularly upset over the BCA returning the car to circulation only a day after the shooting. When questioning Noor why he shot her, a BCA agent apparently suggested “maybe Justine struck the car.” When neither officer indicated immediately this was the case, it was assumed they had no evidence to gather from the car, so it was returned to circulation. When Noor later used the possible strike of the car during his defense, the BCA was in trouble for not having thoroughly examined the vehicle. Mohamed Noor was the first Minnesota police officer convicted of murder for actions he took during the course of his work. This is a complicated mess. Mohamed came from one of the poorest countries in the world, Somalia. He is described as a caring father. Mohamed was fast-tracked as we need police officers, particularly African American police officers. He ended up in a situation he wasn’t prepared to handle. Mohamed killed a wonderful, caring woman, who was trying to stop a sexual assault. This is how it ends: ~ Mohamed goes to prison. A child loses a father. ~ Jeronimo Yanez has no charges and his shooting of Philando is considered justified. ~Philando’s family and community loses a wonderful person. ~ Justine’s family and community loses a wonderful person. ~Taxpayers are asked to dole out $20 million to Justine’s family. Money that could have been used to help the 6000 homeless children in Minnesota. Where is this money coming from? The wealthy are paying a lower % of their income in taxes than the middle class and working class, so it’s coming from the very communities harmed most by the shooting. ~ People are legitimately asking, is Justine Ruszczyk worth 10X as much as Philando Castile? Philando’s family received $2 million, and $1 million went to the attorneys. ~There’s no indication that the sexual assault Justine called in was investigated. Opportunities for learning: ~The BCA needs to do a better job investigating police shootings. The police appeared in unison in not testifying against Mohamed. We need police to stand forth with the truth, right or wrong. I don’t believe Mohamed is a terrible person. Mohamed made a terrible mistake. ~We need to improve the relationship between the police and the communities. The number of police shootings in the U.S. has remained constant for 5 years, and I see no change unless the police and communities can begin working together. I see the next officer involved in a shooting easily railroaded, so the powers to be can say they’re not racist. I don’t see that result, or protests, or monetary awards having much of an impact. The solution is to get the police to work with communities and to get communities to work with the police. Thank for listening, Frank Scotty Stocco was the very entertaining host of the 2019 Minced (The fine version of chopped) held at Sprout in Little Falls.
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AuthorFrank F. Weber is a forensic psychologist specializing in homicide and sexual and physical assault cases. He uses his unique understanding of how predator’s think, knowledge of victim trauma, actual court cases, and passion for writing true crime thrillers. His Award Winning books include "Murder Book" (2017) "The I-94 Murders" (2018) "Last Call" (2019) and "Lying Close" (September 2020). Archives
April 2024
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