The verdict was welcomed by Ruszczyk's father John, who attended the entire trial alongside his wife. "We are satisfied with the outcome," Ruszczyk said following the verdict. "The jury's decision reflected the community's commitment to three important pillars of a civil society: the rule of law, the respect for the sanctity of life, and the obligation of the police force to serve and protect. "We believe this guilty verdict strengthen those pillars. We hope this will be a catalyst for further change." Ruszczyk's fiance Don Damond said Noor demonstrated a "tragic lapse of care and complete disregard for human life" on the night he shot Ruszczyk.

"The evidence in this case clearly shows an egregious failure of the Minneapolis Police Department," he said. Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor walks through the skyway with his attorney Thomas Plunkett, right, on the way to court. Credit:AP His 40-year old fiance, who grew up on Sydney's northern beaches, was wearing pink pyjamas and carrying only her iPhone when she was shot. "Justine lived to teach us about love, about our own human potential," Damond said. “She was a living example of compassion."

Noor was handcuffed and taken into custody immediately after the verdicts were read out after 5pm Minneapolis time (8am AEST). This courtroom sketch depicts former Minneapolis police Officer Mohamed Noor listening to the verdict. Credit:AP His attorneys had requested that he be allowed free on bond until his sentencing on June 7. In Minnesota, third-degree murder is defined as causing death without the intent to kill but behaving in an "eminently dangerous" way and acting "without regard for human life". The charge of second-degree murder, of which Noor was acquitted, requires an intention to kill but not pre-meditation.

Second-degree manslaughter is defined as causing death "by the person's culpable negligence whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another". Noor's attorneys argued that he and his police partner feared they were in a "classic ambush situation" when he shot Ruszczyk. The officers testified that they had heard a thump on their police car moments before which startled them. Noor, 33, testified in his own defence last week but failed to convince the jury of his innocence. Noor showed no visible emotion after the verdict was delivered but his wife was crying. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said this was the first time in Minnesota's history that a police officer had been convicted for murder for an on-duty shooting.

"This was a tragic shooting that did not have to happen," he said. "This is a solid jury verdict and we believe it will stand up on appeal." Freeman said the presumptive sentence for the third-degree murder conviction was 12-and-a-half years, and four years for the manslaughter conviction. Noor would probably be allowed to serve these concurrently, he said. Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo said: "This was indeed a sad and tragic incident that has affected family, friends, neighbours, the City of Minneapolis and people around the world, most significantly in her home country of Australia. "I will ensure that the MPD learns from this case and we will be in spaces to listen, learn and do all we can to help our communities in healing."