5 Things To Know About Justine Damond Fatal Police Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The fatal police shooting of a 40-year-old bride-to-be from Sydney, Australia, living in Minneapolis quickly became international news this week. Details are still emerging as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continues its investigation. Here's what is known so far:

1. The shooting victim

Justine Maia Damond, who also went by Justine Ruszczyk, was fatally shot by police in an alleyway behind West 51st Street and Washburn Avenue South in Minneapolis. She lived in 5000 block of Washburn Avenue South with her fiancé, Don Damond, 50, whom she planned to marry in August.

The latest: Officer Mohamed Noor Says No To Interview: BCA

Zach Damond, 22, Don's son, said Justine Damond was the one who made the 911 call that ended with her death. “Basically, my mom’s dead because a police officer shot her,” he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

According to her website, Damond was trained as a veterinarian before she began working as a spiritual healer and meditation coach.

Related: Why Did Minneapolis Police Shoot Bride-To-Be From Australia?

Damond’s family members living in Australia released a statement via Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Monday stating they "are trying to come to terms with this tragedy and to understand why this has happened," the Pioneer Press reported.

2. The police officer who shot her

The Minneapolis police officer who shot her has been identified as Mohammed Noor, a Somali-American who joined the police department in March 2015.

City records indicate Noor has three complaints on file, KSTP reported. One complaint against him was dismissed with no disciplinary action taken, while two others remain open. The details of the complaints have not been reported.

Noor's attorney, Tom Plunkett, released the following statement after the shooting:

Officer Mohamed Noor extends his condolences to the family and anyone else who
has been touched by this event. He takes their loss seriously and keeps them in his
daily thoughts and prayers.

He came to the United States at a young age and is thankful to have had so many
opportunities. He takes these events very seriously because, for him, being a
police officer is a calling. He joined the police force to serve the community and
to protect the people he serves. Officer Noor is a caring person with a family he
loves and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing.

The current environment for police is difficult, but Officer Noor accepts this as
part of his calling. We would like to say more, and will in the future. At this time,
however, there are several investigations ongoing and Officer Noor wants to
respect the privacy to the family and asks the same in return during this difficult
period.

3. The shooting

According to the BCA, two Minneapolis police officers responded to a 911 call of a possible assault just north of the 5100 block of Washburn Avenue South just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday. At one point an officer fired his weapon, fatally striking Damond. BCA crime scene personnel located no weapons at the scene. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Minnesota Patch, click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Damond was in her pajamas when she went to the driver’s side door of the responding police squad and was talking to the officer, sources told the Star Tribune. Noor reportedly shot at Damond across his partner from the passenger’s seat, killing her.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner found that she died of a gunshot wound of the abdomen at 11:51 p.m. in an alleyway behind West 51st Street and Washburn Avenue South.

4. No video

Despite a departmental policy requiring police to wear body cameras, the two police officers who responded to a 911 call hadn’t turned theirs on, the BCA said in a news release. Investigators are trying to determine why and if video exists of the shooting. The police cruiser camera also has no record of what happened.

5. What happens next

BCA agents are currently interviewing witnesses and the people involved in the incident. It will collect, analyze and review evidence and conduct follow-up interviews as needed to ultimately find all of the facts of the case.

As "an independent fact finder," the BCA does not decide or determine the outcome of a case. As it does in all investigations, the BCA will present its findings without recommendations to the Hennepin County attorney for review.

On Monday, Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau said she has asked for "an external and independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting death."

"I've asked for the investigation to be expedited to provide transparency and to answer as many questions as quickly as we can," she stated.

Also in a statement Monday, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges called the shooting "devastating and awful."

"This is not a situation that any community ever wants to face," she said. "At this stage, we get to support and listen to each other, ask the hard questions, and look for answers from our leaders, our faith when that’s part of our lives, and our community. For the foreseeable future, I will do everything I can to keep everyone — you included — as informed as possible."

Image via Stephen Govel, used with permission