Minneapolis to Pay $20M to Family of 911 Caller Slain by Cop

Minneapolis to Pay $20M to Family of 911 Caller Slain by Cop
Johanna Morrow plays the didgeridoo during a memorial service for Justine Damond in Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 11, 2017. (Aaron Lavinsky /Star Tribune via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS—The city of Minneapolis will pay $20 million to the family of an unarmed woman fatally shot by a police officer when she approached his squad car after calling 911 to report a possible crime, city leaders announced on May 3.

Mayor Jacob Frey and City Council members detailed the settlement just three days after a jury convicted Mohamed Noor of murder and manslaughter in the 2017 death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. The dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia had called 911 to summon officers to a possible rape in the alley behind her house.

Justine Damond and Mohamed Noor
Justine Damond (L), also known as Justine Ruszczyk, from Sydney. (Stephen Govel Photography/Handout via Reuters); Minneapolis Police Department Officer Mohamed Noor. (City of Minneapolis Ward 8 Update Newsletter)

The settlement is believed to be the largest stemming from police violence in the state of Minnesota, and roughly four to five times as large as any settlement paid out in recent years.

When asked whether race played a role in the swift settlement or in its amount—Damond was white, Noor is Somali American—Frey said this case stood out because of Noor’s unprecedented conviction for third-degree murder, as well as the officer’s failure to identify a threat before he used deadly force.

“This is not a victory for anyone, but rather a way for our city to move forward,” he said. “I do believe that we will move forward together, united in the shared belief that such a tragedy should never occur in our city.”

Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor
Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor (R) with attorneys Peter Wold, center, and Thomas Plunkett, left, walks out of the the Hennepin County Government Center on April 25, 2019. (Brian Peterson/Star Tribune/The Associated Press)

Noor and his partner were driving down the alley in a police SUV when they say they were startled by a loud bang on the vehicle. Noor testified that he fired to protect them from a perceived threat, after he saw his partner’s terrified reaction, and saw a woman appear at the driver’s side window, raising her right arm. Jurors took about 11½ hours to reach a verdict after hearing three weeks of testimony.

Courtroom Sketch Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor
This courtroom sketch depicts former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, center, on the witness stand on April 25, 2019. (Cedric Hohnstadt/AP)

Damond’s family had filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50 million, alleging that her civil rights were violated.

The settlement, which will be paid by the city’s self-insurance fund, calls for Damond’s family to donate $2 million to a local foundation’s fund aimed at addressing gun violence.

An attorney for the family planned to make a statement on Friday afternoon.

The death of Damond, 40, came a month before she was due to marry. Noor, 33, who had trained to become a police officer in a mid-career switch, was fired after he was charged.

He is in custody awaiting sentencing in June. Sentencing guidelines call for as many as 15 years in prison on the murder charge, though judges can depart from the guidelines.

Former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor's Trial For Shooting Death Of Justine Damond Begins
Former Minneapolis Police officer Mohamed Noor leaves the Hennepin County Government Center during a break from his trial in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 1, 2019. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Prosecutors criticized Noor for shooting without seeing a weapon or Damond’s hands. They also questioned whether the loud bang was real. Neither Noor nor his partner, Matthew Harrity, mentioned it to investigators at the scene, with Harrity first mentioning it three days later in an interview with state investigators. Noor refused to talk to investigators.

Damond’s death angered and bewildered citizens in the U.S. and Australia, and led to the forced resignation of Minneapolis’ police chief. It also led the department to change its policy on body cameras.

By Amy Forliti

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