A US police officer who shot dead an Australian woman in 2017 has been found guilty of murder by a jury in Minneapolis, ending a case that has shocked the city and sparked outrage in her native country.
Mohamed Noor, 33, who was fired from the city's police force, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The jury, which began deliberating on Monday after three weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses, acquitted the former officer of the most serious charge of second-degree murder with intent to kill.
Noor was taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs and into custody, according to US media reports.
He testified that he shot Justine Damond, an Australian who had moved to the US, to protect his partner, because he had feared an ambush when responding to an emergency call she had made.
But prosecutors insisted that the shooting was unreasonable and contrary to police department training policy.
Noor targeted Damond from the passenger seat of the police car he was in with his partner, Matthew Harrity.
The 40-year-old victim, a yoga instructor, had approached the car after calling 911 twice to report a possible rape in the dark alley behind her home. No such assault was ever found to have occurred.
Defence attorney Peter Wold told jurors the former officer was heartbroken over the shooting.
Noor testified that he believed there was an imminent threat after he saw a cyclist stop near the police car, heard a loud bang and saw Officer Harrity's "reaction to the person on the driver's side raising her right arm".
Noor added that when he reached from the passenger seat and shot Damond through the driver's side window, it was because he thought his partner "would have been killed".
Ms Damond was wounded in the abdomen and died at the scene. Her last words were: "I'm dying," according to authorities.
Ms Damond had moved to the midwestern city to marry her American fiancée. Her death caused outrage back home and her Australian family was in the courtroom for the trial.
At a press conference, Ms Damond's father said he believed Noor's conviction was reached despite the "active resistance" of many police officers and institutions.
The shooting also enraged many of the victim's neighbours, who mounted a campaign for police reforms. The city's police chief at the time was forced to resign within days.
"I want to extend my sincere apologies to the family and friends of Justine Ruszcyzk Damond," Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a statement after the verdict.
The chief called the incident "sad and tragic" and acknowledged that it had had an impact "around the world, most significantly in her home country of Australia."
"I will ensure that the (department) learns from this case," Mr Arradondo said.
