The police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman after she called 911 to report a disturbance behind her upscale Minneapolis home has been identified.
Mohamed Noor, who joined the department in March 2015, reached over and shot Justine Damond, 40, multiple times from the passenger seat of his squad car while she spoke to his colleague on the drivers side in a back alley.
Noor, joined the department in March 2015 as the first Somali police officer to patrol the 5th Precinct in southwest Minneapolis, according to a city newsletter.
Damond was wearing pajamas and was killed at around 11.30 pm on Saturday, just a month before she was due to marry.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) – the state agency investigating the shooting – has so far kept tight-lipped on the circumstances that led to the death of the yoga and meditation teacher.
We have been told that no weapons were recovered from the scene and according to the Star Tribune witnesses to the shooting have described Damond approaching the police cruiser in the alley behind her house.
She was holding her cell phone and talking to an officer on the drivers side before she was shot.
We have seen many officer involved shootings here at Law Officer but what makes this one seemingly more difficult to discuss is the absent of any information being released by the agency.
Unlike some, we will wait to hear more before we discuss further and apparently there is another person that has now decided to stay silent.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton came out immediately after the shooting of Philando Castille and said that race was the reason he was shot. It wouldn’t be the gun but it was race. After Officer Yanez was acquitted, he doubled down with his statement.
Truly a horrible example for any politician but here we have a case where there is reportedly no gun present and Governor Dayton has issued no statement and has no comment. Too bad he didn’t do that the first time because that is indeed the correct action.
We (and Dayton) know very little at this time. We are willing to be patient for facts and we will comment at the appropriate time.
It’s odd is it not? What has changed for Governor Dayton in this case?