Remember this story from last summer?
An Australian expat living in Minneapolis, Minn., Justine Ruszczyk Damond, was gunned down in July 2017 when she called police because she thought she heard someone being attacked in the alley near her house.
When Officers Mohamed Noor and Matthew Harrity arrived, they were startled by a loud noise and Noor fired from within the police cruiser striking Damond, 40, in the abdomen, which killed her.
The investigation has taken several months, but a warrant was issued for Noor Tuesday and he has since turned himself in.
The criminal complaint remained sealed by midday Tuesday, but according to the jail roster Noor was booked on a third-degree murder charge for perpetrating an eminently dangerous act while showing a “depraved mind.” The second-degree manslaughter charge alleges he acted with “culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk.”
Neither the officer’s body cameras nor the dashcam was turned on at the time of the shooting. Since the shooting, Police Chief Janee Harteau, who in the days after the tragic event defended Noor’s training and placement on the force, was pressured out of her position by Mayor Betsy Hodges.
If found guilty Noor could face anywhere from, at best, 4 years to a maximum of 25 years depending on which count and the presumptive sentencing guidelines.
The facts of the case will come out in more detail during the trial, but from what we know now, we can likely all agree Damond should not have met with death that day. Based on the fact that Noor was charged, it would seem the prosecutors think the same.
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