Prosecutors to consider charges in Australian woman’s death
MINNEAPOLIS — The case of a Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in July has been handed over to prosecutors for possible charges, authorities announced Tuesday.
It’s the third high-profile police shooting in recent years in which a Minnesota prosecutor will make a charging decision himself rather than rely on the grand jury process, which has been criticized because it is secret and rarely ends in officers being charged.
Officer Mohamed Noor fatally shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a 40-year-old life coach who was engaged to be married, on July 15 after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home. Noor’s partner, Officer Matthew Harrity, told investigators that he was startled by a loud noise right before Damond approached the driver’s side window of their police SUV.
Harrity, who was driving, said Noor then fired his weapon from the passenger seat, hitting Damond.