Australian woman shot dead by US police after 911 call

[redred]

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/10B22/production/_96968386_gettyimages-518919894.jpg

An Australian woman has been killed by a US police officer responding to a 911 call in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (BCA) said police responded to "a call of possible assault" when "at one point an officer fired their weapon, fatally striking a woman".
The BCA is investigating the Saturday incident but said the officers' body cameras were not turned on at the time.
The victim has not been formally identified.
According to Australian media, the 40-year old woman was living in Minneapolis with her fiancé. The woman called 911 to report a noise near her home when the incident occurred, reports said.
Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges said in a statement she was "heartsick and deeply disturbed by what occurred last night".
Over the past few years the US has seen a series of civilian killings at the hands of police that have caused widespread concern and criticism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-40627847

[redred]

The BCA is investigating the Saturday incident but said the officers' body cameras were not turned on at the time

wouldn't it be best if these were turned on all the time when on duty ? would be best for everyone imo

[deebakes]

minnesota :woot:

wait... :sad2:

[RBP]

So what conclusion did you reach from this story that contains zero details?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

FOX News


An Australian woman engaged to marry an American next month was shot and killed by a Minneapolis cop Saturday night after calling police to report an incident, leading her family and investigators to question what caused the deadly shooting.

The woman, identified as Justine Damond, 40, was killed in the late-night shooting in the city's Fulton neighborhood, Fox 9 reported. She reportedly had called to report an assault.

“Two Minneapolis police officers responded to a 911 call of a possible assault just north of the 5100 block of Washburn Avenue S. just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday,” the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a news release. “At one point, an officer fired their weapon, fatally striking a woman."

Police were trying to determine whether any video of the incident exists. The body cameras of the officers involved were not activated, according to police.

Damond, an Australian national and instructor with the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community, was engaged to be married in August and has a son, according to Fox 9. Her fiance, identified by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, as Don Damond, was reportedly on his way home from a business trip.

Damond, whose maiden name was Ruszczyk but went by her fiance's last name, called police after hearing a sound in a nearby alley, according to their son, Zach Damond, 22.

“Basically, my mom’s dead because a police officer shot her for reasons I don’t know,” Zach Damond told the Star-Tribune. “I demand answers. If anybody can help, just call police and demand answers. I’m so done with all this violence.”

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, at a press conference Sunday, called the shooting "tragic."

Michelle Gross, from Communities United Against Police Brutality, released a statement on Damond's death.

"Sadly we now [mourn the life of] Justine, a white woman living in southwest Minneapolis--who simply notified the police about an assault she was concerned about," Gross said. "She was being a good neighbor! And she lost her life being a good neighbor."

http://i.imgur.com/id99s87.jpg

Both officers were placed on administrative leave.

The medical examiner's office will be conducting an autopsy.

The shooting comes a year after a Minnesota officer shot Philando Castile, an elementary school cafeteria worker, several times during a traffic stop. The deadly police-involved shooting sparked nationwide outcry. The officer, Jeronimo Yanez, was acquitted and recieved $48,500 to leave the department.

[RBP]

This is the only detail I can find... and that seems speculative.


Three unidentified sources told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that officers pulled into an alley to check up on the reported disturbance. The sources indicated that when police arrived, Damond, who was dressed in her pajamas, was at the driver’s side door of a vehicle talking to the driver. The officer that was sitting in the passenger seat of the patrol car pulled his gun and shot her through the driver’s side door. No weapons were located on the scene, authorities said.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

In the grand scheme of things, this will not be a major story, because she's white and that doesn't fit the media's narrative of cops 'murdering' black people

[RBP]

In the grand scheme of things, this will not be a major story, because she's white and that doesn't fit the media's narrative of cops 'murdering' black people


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU-lqq53VSI

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The "heartbroken" American fiancé of an Australian shot dead by a US police officer has said they have received almost no information from officials.
Don Damond said his wife-to-be, Justine Damond, was gunned down after calling police to report a possible sexual assault in their quiet neighbourhood.
He said they were "desperate" to find out how Saturday's shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, happened.
The officers' body cameras were not turned on at the time.
The shooting happened in a relatively affluent area, where violent crime is rare.

Mr Damond told a news conference outside his home on Monday evening: "Our hearts are broken and we are utterly devastated by the loss of Justine.
"As you know it was Justine who called 911 on Saturday evening, reporting what she believed was an active sexual assault occurring nearby.
"Sadly her family and I have been provided with almost no additional information from law enforcement regarding what happened after police arrived."
Mr Damond continued: "Our lives are forever changed as a result of knowing her. She was so kind and so darn funny."
Forty-year-old Ms Damond was living in Minneapolis with her fiancé, whose surname she had already adopted.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, citing three sources with knowledge of the incident, reported that Ms Damond was dressed in her pyjamas and approached the driver's side door to talk to the officer at the wheel after police arrived.
The officer in the passenger seat, identified by local media as Mohamed Noor, drew his gun and shot Ms Damond through the driver's window, the newspaper reported.
Mr Noor's lawyer, Tom Plunkett, confirmed on Monday that his client had fired his weapon, killing Ms Damond.

Ms Damond's stepson, Zach, railed against police in a Facebook video.
"America sucks," he said. "These cops need to get trained differently. I need to move out of here."
The Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said an investigation is under way and authorities are looking into whether there is any video of the incident.
Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau called Damond's death "tragic" in a statement on Monday.
"I've asked for the investigation to be expedited to provide transparency and to answer as many questions as quickly as we can," she said.
The two officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave.
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said she was "heartsick and deeply disturbed".
She told a news conference: "I share the same questions other people have about why we don't have body camera footage of it, and I hope to get answers to that in the days coming."

Ms Damond, nee Justine Ruszczyk, taught meditation classes at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community in Minneapolis.
She studied to be a veterinarian before relocating to the US, where she is believed to have been for at least the last three years.
According to her website, she is a "qualified yoga instructor, a personal health and life coach and meditation teacher".
About 200 neighbours, family members and residents gathered for a vigil on Sunday night where she died.
Over the past few years the US has seen a series of civilian killings at the hands of police that have caused widespread concern and criticism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40639140

[RBP]

I am willing to bet there is more. Like really willing to bet. This is urban legend stuff.

[redred]

it does seem very strange

[deebakes]

:rip:

[redred]

A Minneapolis police officer whose partner shot an Australian woman was "startled by a loud sound" just before the incident, investigators say.
Justine Damond, originally from Sydney, was gunned down after calling police to report a possible crime.
On a police radio recording, an officer mentions fireworks being let off near where the shooting happened.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he wants answers from the US over the killing.
"It is a shocking killing, and yes, we are demanding answers on behalf of her family," he told Australian TV.

The shooting occurred as 40-year-old Ms Damond, dressed in her pyjamas, approached the driver's side door to talk to the officer at the wheel after police arrived.
Officer Mohamed Noor, who was sitting in the passenger seat, fired his weapon across his partner and through the driver's side window, striking Ms Damond, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said.
Officer Noor has refused to speak to investigators and US authorities say they cannot compel him to give a statement.
But the BCA said that Officer Matthew Harrity, who was driving the car, had told investigators that Ms Damond had come towards the car immediately after he heard a loud sound.

After the shooting, the officers are heard on the police radio recording telling dispatchers they are performing CPR and that "no suspects are at large".
State investigators say the officers failed to activate their body or dashboard cameras and both officers have been placed on administrative leave.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman have both raised this question.
Minneapolis police are required to switch on their body cameras only during certain encounters, unlike in Los Angeles or Washington DC, where cameras must be switched on for any response to a call for service.
Instead, there are more than a dozen situations in which cameras should be used, according to the police manual, which adds that failure to use the camera could result in job termination.
"If a BWC [body-worn camera] is not activated prior to a use of force, it shall be activated as soon as it is safe to do so," reads the manual.
Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau has described Ms Damond's death as "tragic" and called for a quick investigation to provide "transparency".
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman has said he will personally decide whether to charge Officer Mohamed Noor, rather than put the question to a grand jury.
Officer Noor, who has been described by local media as a Somali-American, has been with the police force for two years.
A statement from his lawyer said he had arrived in the US "at a young age" and described him as "a caring person with a family he loves and he empathised with the loss others are experiencing".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-40651470

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why is the officer allowed to keep silent ? would he not have to be questioned or is this saved for a layer date if it goes to court etc

[Hugh_Janus]

another immigrant dead :woot:

[Muddy]

another immigrant dead :woot:

Easy there, Monk.. :hand:

[RBP]

why is the officer allowed to keep silent ? would he not have to be questioned or is this saved for a layer date if it goes to court etc
He never has to say a word. He has a legal right against self-incrimination. And no, he does not have to testify if he chooses not to.

[redred]

Thanks for explaining

[DemonGeminiX]

It's actually one of our Constitutionally protected rights:

The 5th Amendment of the United States Constitution:


No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

If you've ever heard someone use the phrase "plead the 5th", either seriously or in jest, live or on TV or in movies, this is where that phrase came from.

[redred]

anyway why aren't all you white folk rioting about this ?

[DemonGeminiX]

:-s

Don't you pay attention? White people don't riot.

[RBP]

:-s

Don't you pay attention? White people don't riot.

:hand:

http://i.imgur.com/i0Cp7WU.jpg?1

[Hikari Kisugi]

He never has to say a word. He has a legal right against self-incrimination. And no, he does not have to testify if he chooses not to.

Doesn't he have to write a report of his actions whilst on duty, incriminating or not?

[RBP]

Doesn't he have to write a report of his actions whilst on duty, incriminating or not?

Not sure. I can't speak to Milwaukee police procedure. He won't be back on the force regardless, so not filing a report is meaningless anyway.

[deebakes]

what the fuck does wisconsin have to do with it? :?

[redred]

https://the-hollywood-gossip-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--xprub35c--/c_scale,f_auto,h_473,q_auto,w_696/v1463581634/slideshows/that-70s-show-cast-where-are-they-now