The former Minneapolis Police officer's defense team is asking to set aside guilty verdicts for both counts of murder and manslaughter, citing insufficient trial evidence

MINNEAPOLIS — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering Justine Rusczcyk Damond is asking the judge to set aside the verdicts.

The attorneys are filing the motion for acquittal on the basis of insufficient evidence.

The jury convicted Noor two weeks ago of 3rd degree murder and 2nd degree Manslaughter.

On the issue of 3rd-degree murder, Noor's attorneys state, "Mr. Noor submits a judgment of acquittal for Count 2 should be entered because there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate he acted with a depraved heart and there is overwhelming evidence that his actions were directed at a specific person."

On the issue of manslaughter, the attorneys state, "The only reasonable interpretation of the events is that Mr. Noor perceived a need to defend himself and Officer Harrity. That perception is not an act of gross negligence given the context." Noor's attorneys describe the events that unfolded as an "attempt to minimize the danger he and Officer Harrity believed was real at the that moment. His shock and actions reveal a man with a heavy conscience, not a man acting in a conscious disregard for the risk he was creating."