MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on charges against a Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in July (all times local):
4:50 p.m.
An attorney for a Minneapolis police officer says the officer shouldn’t have been charged with a crime in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian woman.
Thomas Plunkett says Officer Mohamed Noor was acting according to his training when he shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond last July.
Damond approached Noor’s squad car just minutes after calling 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her house.
Plunkett says it appears Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman planned to charge Noor long before he convened a grand jury to gather information in the case.
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4:15 p.m.
An advocate for Minnesota’s Somali and Muslim communities says he supports the charges against a Somali-American police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman last July.
Jaylani Hussein is executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He says the Somali community had wanted justice for Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond and hoped for charges.
But, he says he hopes that the charges are based on the “heinousness of the crime” and not on Officer Mohamed Noor’s ethnicity.
Hussein says he hopes the charges reflect a trend where all officers are held accountable for their actions.
Noor was charged Tuesday with murder and manslaughter counts.
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3:45 p.m.
A Minneapolis police officer who was charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of an unarmed Australian woman has been fired.
In a statement, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo says Officer Mohamed Noor’s time with the police department ended Tuesday. Arradondo doesn’t specifically say that Noor was fired, but he says that he delayed employment decisions in this matter at the request of prosecutors so it wouldn’t interfere with the criminal investigation.
Noor shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond last July when she approached his squad car, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.
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3:15 p.m.
A Minnesota prosecutor says he charged a police officer in the killing of an unarmed Australian woman because the officer deserved it.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman filed murder and manslaughter charges Tuesday against Minneapolis police Officer Mohamed Noor. Noor shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond last July when she approached his squad car, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.
Freeman says the law prevents officers from being charged unless they are “unacceptably reckless.” He says he agrees with that.
He says Noor “violated the rules, and deserves to be charged” in Damond’s death. He says Noor abused his authority to use deadly force.
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1:50 p.m.
A criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday afternoon has detailed the charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter against a Minneapolis officer who shot an unarmed Australian woman.
Officer Mohamed Noor turned himself in Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest in the death of Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond. Damond was shot July 15, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.
The 40-year-old life coach was engaged to be married.
The complaint says that there is no evidence Noor justified his decision to use deadly force, and instead he recklessly fired his handgun. The charges accuse Noor of third-degree murder for perpetrating an eminently dangerous act while showing a “depraved mind” without regard for human health. The second-degree manslaughter charge alleges he acted with “culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk.”
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12:35 p.m.
The family of an unarmed Australian woman shot to death by a Minneapolis police officer responding to her 911 call says charges against the officer are “one step toward justice.”
Officer Mohamed Noor turned himself in Tuesday morning and is held on murder and manslaughter charges. He shot Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond in the stomach in July after she approached his squad car in the alley behind her home.
Damond’s family said in a written statement that they’re pleased that Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman decided to bring charges. They say they hope a strong case will be presented and Noor will be convicted.
Their statement says justice “demands accountability for those responsible for recklessly killing the fellow citizens they are sworn to protect.”
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12:05 p.m.
A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in July has been booked on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Officer Mohamed Noor turned himself in on Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest in the death of Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond. Damond was shot July 15, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.
The 40-year-old life coach was engaged to be married.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was scheduled to discuss charges in the case at a 2:30 p.m. news conference.
Noor has not talked publicly about the case and declined to be interviewed by state investigators.
Jail records show he’s being held on $500,000 bail.
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11:45 p.m.
A Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in July has turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and a news conference was scheduled later Tuesday to announce charges in the case.
Tom Plunkett, an attorney for Officer Mohamed Noor, says he turned himself in Tuesday in the death of Justine Ruszczyk (ROOS’-chehk) Damond. Damond was shot July 15, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.
The 40-year-old life coach was engaged to be married.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was scheduled to discuss charges in the case at a 2:30 p.m. news conference.
Noor has not talked publicly about the case and declined to be interviewed by state investigators.
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