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| Justine Damond shooting 'a perfect storm with tragic consequences', court hears | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed the Australian life coach Justine Ruszczyk Damond as she approached his squad car after calling 911 feared an ambush, his attorney has told a court, calling it “a perfect storm with tragic consequences”. | A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed the Australian life coach Justine Ruszczyk Damond as she approached his squad car after calling 911 feared an ambush, his attorney has told a court, calling it “a perfect storm with tragic consequences”. |
| Mohamed Noor faces charges of murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of Damond. In his opening statement at Noor’s trial on Tuesday, the defense attorney Peter Wold said the officer and his partner were rolling down a dark alley in response to Damond’s 911 calls about a possible sexual assault when a bicyclist appeared in front of them and they heard “a bang”. | Mohamed Noor faces charges of murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of Damond. In his opening statement at Noor’s trial on Tuesday, the defense attorney Peter Wold said the officer and his partner were rolling down a dark alley in response to Damond’s 911 calls about a possible sexual assault when a bicyclist appeared in front of them and they heard “a bang”. |
| “It is the next split second that this case is all about,” Wold said. | “It is the next split second that this case is all about,” Wold said. |
| Noor fired a single shot, killing Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the US and Australia. | Noor fired a single shot, killing Damond, a 40-year-old dual citizen of the US and Australia. |
| Attorneys for Noor, who was fired after being charged in the case and has never talked to investigators about what happened, argue that he used reasonable force to defend himself and his partner from a perceived threat. | Attorneys for Noor, who was fired after being charged in the case and has never talked to investigators about what happened, argue that he used reasonable force to defend himself and his partner from a perceived threat. |
| The prosecutor Patrick Lofton, in his opening remarks, questioned a statement from Noor’s partner, Matthew Harrity, that he heard a thump right before the shooting. Lofton said Harrity never said anything at the scene about such a noise, instead mentioning it for the first time some days later in an interview with investigators. | The prosecutor Patrick Lofton, in his opening remarks, questioned a statement from Noor’s partner, Matthew Harrity, that he heard a thump right before the shooting. Lofton said Harrity never said anything at the scene about such a noise, instead mentioning it for the first time some days later in an interview with investigators. |
| Why? The question that still hangs over Justine Damond's killing | Why? The question that still hangs over Justine Damond's killing |
| Lofton also said investigators found no forensic evidence to show that Damond had touched the squad car before she was shot, an assertion that seemed aimed at the possibility that she had slapped or hit it upon approaching the officers. | Lofton also said investigators found no forensic evidence to show that Damond had touched the squad car before she was shot, an assertion that seemed aimed at the possibility that she had slapped or hit it upon approaching the officers. |
| Lofton also wondered why other officers responding to the scene didn’t consistently have their cameras switched on. The officers did not turn on their body cameras until after the shooting, and there was no squad car video. Lofton noted that a sergeant taking statements had her camera on when she talked to Harrity, but off when she talked to Noor. | Lofton also wondered why other officers responding to the scene didn’t consistently have their cameras switched on. The officers did not turn on their body cameras until after the shooting, and there was no squad car video. Lofton noted that a sergeant taking statements had her camera on when she talked to Harrity, but off when she talked to Noor. |
| “We’ll never hear what Noor said,” he said. | “We’ll never hear what Noor said,” he said. |
| Tuesday’s opening statements came after six days of jury selection for Noor. Damond was a life coach who had been engaged to be married in just a month’s time. Noor, 33, is a Somali American whose arrival on the force just a couple of years earlier had been trumpeted by city leaders working to diversify the police force. | Tuesday’s opening statements came after six days of jury selection for Noor. Damond was a life coach who had been engaged to be married in just a month’s time. Noor, 33, is a Somali American whose arrival on the force just a couple of years earlier had been trumpeted by city leaders working to diversify the police force. |
| Damond called 911 twice, then called her fiance and hung up when police arrived, Lofton said. One minute and 19 seconds later, Damond was cradling a gunshot wound to her abdomen and saying, “I’m dying,” Lofton added. | Damond called 911 twice, then called her fiance and hung up when police arrived, Lofton said. One minute and 19 seconds later, Damond was cradling a gunshot wound to her abdomen and saying, “I’m dying,” Lofton added. |
| Prosecutors must prove that Noor acted unreasonably when he shot Damond. Minnesota law allows police officers to use deadly force to protect themselves or their partners from death or great bodily harm, but prosecutors say there is no evidence he faced a threat that justified deadly force. They charged Noor with second-degree intentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. | Prosecutors must prove that Noor acted unreasonably when he shot Damond. Minnesota law allows police officers to use deadly force to protect themselves or their partners from death or great bodily harm, but prosecutors say there is no evidence he faced a threat that justified deadly force. They charged Noor with second-degree intentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. |
| Earlier Tuesday, the Hennepin county district Judge Kathryn Quaintance relented on restrictions that would have prevented the public and media from viewing video evidence introduced in the case. That’s expected to include body-camera video that shows efforts to save Damond. Quaintance had cited a desire to protect Damond’s privacy, but a coalition of media groups including the Associated Press had challenged the ban. | Earlier Tuesday, the Hennepin county district Judge Kathryn Quaintance relented on restrictions that would have prevented the public and media from viewing video evidence introduced in the case. That’s expected to include body-camera video that shows efforts to save Damond. Quaintance had cited a desire to protect Damond’s privacy, but a coalition of media groups including the Associated Press had challenged the ban. |
| “The court, like the jury, must follow the law – even if I disagree with it,” said Quaintance. | “The court, like the jury, must follow the law – even if I disagree with it,” said Quaintance. |
| Noor’s attorneys have not said whether he will testify. | Noor’s attorneys have not said whether he will testify. |
| Justine Damond shooting | Justine Damond shooting |
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| Minnesota | Minnesota |
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