MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by police in Minneapolis (all times local):
9:10 p.m.
Police in Minneapolis say they are re-evaluating their policy on body cameras following the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by an officer.
Justine Damond was shot Saturday night by an officer who was responding to her 911 call. Neither that officer nor his partner had their body camera running at the time, making it more difficult to answer questions about the shooting.
Assistant Chief Medaria Arradondo says the city is only eight months into the department-wide rollout of body cameras. He says a review of the program includes focusing on how often officers activate them, and he says the department wants to increase that frequency.
Arradondo spoke Tuesday night shortly after state investigators released their first narrative of what happened. One of the officers involved told police he was startled by a loud noise near his squad vehicle shortly before Damond approached it. That officer’s partner shot Damond.
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7:30 p.m.
The investigation into the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by Minneapolis police so far depends on the account of the officer’s partner.
Justine Damond, a spiritual healer and bride-to-be, was shot Saturday night by Officer Mohamed Noor soon after she called 911 to report what she thought was a sexual assault in the alley behind her home.
Noor’s partner, Matthew Harrity, told investigators he was startled by a loud sound near their squad vehicle right before Damond approached the car on his side. Harrity said Noor shot Damond through the open window.
Noor declined to be interviewed by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the BCA said they can’t force him to be interviewed.
Noor has been on the force for 21 months. Harrity has been an officer for one year.
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7 p.m.
Investigators examining the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer say they want to talk to a bicyclist who stopped and watched as officers gave medical aid to the woman.
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators say they’re looking for the man who is white and 18 to 25 years old for help as a possible witness. They’re asking that he and any other possible witnesses contact the agency.
Justine Damond, a 40-year-old spiritual healer and bride-to-be, was shot Saturday night by one of the two officers responding to her 911 call. Damond had called police about what she thought was a sexual assault in the alley behind her home.
One of the officers said they were startled by a loud sound right before Damond approached the vehicle.
Her death sparked anger and a call for answers in the U.S. and Australia.
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(The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension contact number is 651-793-7000.)
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6:40 p.m.
Investigators say the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer came right after the officer’s partner said he was startled by a loud sound near their patrol vehicle.
Tuesday’s update from state investigators came three days after Justine Damond was shot and killed by officers responding to her 911 call. Damond had called about a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her house.
The update from Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Officer Matthew Harrity told them he was startled by a loud sound near the vehicle right before Damond approached. Officer Mohamed Noor, who was sitting in the passenger seat, fired past his partner and hit Damond in the abdomen as she approached the driver’s side.
The update said Noor has declined to be interviewed by investigators.
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6:05 p.m.
Family and friends of Justine Damond have gathered on a Sydney beach to pay silent tribute to the Australian shot dead by Minneapolis police.
Dozens carried candles in the early morning light on Freshwater Beach and each mourner tossed a single pink blossom into the Pacific Ocean. Pink was the 40-year-old mediation teacher’s favorite color. Almost 300 people gathered for the memorial.
The family, led by Damond’s father John Ruszczyk, said in a statement: “We’re here to come together as a community around our beautiful Justine to honor her life, share our love and mourn her death.”
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5 p.m.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is joining those demanding answers in the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by police in Minneapolis.
In an interview on Australia’s Today Show on Wednesday, Turnbull called the death of Justine Damond “a shocking killing.”
Damond was shot by a police officer Saturday night after she called 911 to report what she believed was an active sexual assault. The shooting is being investigated by state authorities, who have yet to officially identify officers or give a narrative of what happened.
Turnbull says he’s demanding answers on behalf of Damond’s family. He says something “clearly went tragically wrong.”
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3:30 p.m.
The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in an alley is a young Somali-American who felt called to work in law enforcement after getting a college degree in business.
Thirty-two-year-old Mohamed Noor joined the police force two years ago. He is among more Somalis hired in recent years as the department tries to diversify. To those in Minnesota’s Somali community, he was seen as a role model, and his hiring was celebrated.
Noor is now on paid administrative leave as authorities investigate why he shot 40-year-old Justine Damond, a meditation teacher.
Damond’s fiancé said she called 911 late Saturday about what she believed was an active sexual assault. She was reportedly standing outside the driver’s side of a squad car when she was shot in the abdomen.
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12:10 a.m.
An Australian woman who called 911 to report what she believed to be an active sexual assault was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
Authorities have released no details about what led to Saturday’s shooting of Justine Damond. The meditation teacher and bride-to-be was killed by an officer who reportedly fired his weapon from the passenger seat of a squad car.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office says Damond died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Her fiancé, Don Damond, says the family has been given almost no additional information.
Local media identified the officer who fired his gun as Mohamed Noor, a Somali-American. He joined the police department in March 2015.
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