Judge restricts access to evidence in police shooting case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge overseeing the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Australian woman has set tight restrictions for how the courtroom will be run and ruled Friday that members of the public and media will not view graphic evidence that is presented to the jury.

Mohamed Noor, 33, goes on trial Monday in the July 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszcyzyk Damond, a 40-year-old life coach who called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home. The case drew international attention. Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter.

Hennepin County District Judge Kathryn Quaintance ruled Friday that body camera footage recorded after the shooting, medical examiner's reports and other evidence that could be graphic will be shown only to the jury, attorneys and herself, according to local media reports. She cited a strong media interest in the case, and said she was preserving Damond's privacy.

"It's inflammatory, potentially," Quaintance said , according to the Star Tribune. "It's emotional and it shows the deceased in extremely compromising situations, and I don't see any value in that being shown outside the people directly involved in the case."

But Mark Anfinson, an attorney for the Minnesota Newspaper Association, told The Associated Press that concerns about privacy or inflammatory material aren't reasons to block access to evidence. Without a compelling reason, if Quaintance doesn't at least allow for access to the evidence shortly after it is shown in court, Anfinson said, "That's just unconstitutional."

Anfinson said that once the jury has seen the evidence, showing it to the public will not have any impact on Noor's right to a fair trial.

An attorney for several media organizations sent a letter to Hennepin County District Chief Judge Ivy...