Minnesota grand jury convening in police killing of Australian woman

Justine Damond was killed in an alley behind her Minneapolis home.

ByABC News
February 6, 2018, 8:45 PM

— -- A grand jury is meeting this week in the 2017 case of a Minneapolis police officer involved in the shooting death of Justine Damond.

Damond, 40, was shot and killed July 15, 2017, in the alley behind her Minneapolis home after she made a 911 call reporting a possible assault.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Mohamed Noor and fellow officer Matthew Harrity responded to Damond's call but never found any indication of a crime. The officers were then startled by a loud noise as Damond approached the driver's side of their vehicle and Noor, who was on the passenger side, fired his gun through the open driver's side window.

PHOTO: Police Officer Mohamed Noor poses for a photo at a community event welcoming him to the Minneapolis police force in a May 2016 handout image.
Police Officer Mohamed Noor poses for a photo at a community event welcoming him to the Minneapolis police force in a May 2016 handout image.

Minneapolis' police union president Bob Kroll said at least 30 police officers have been subpoenaed as part of the grand jury investigation. Kroll said those individuals are primarily Noor's trainers and academy teachers.

Officer Noor has never spoken publicly about the case and has declined to speak to investigators.

PHOTO: Jan Skogstrom, of Minneapolis, raises her fist with fellow protesters during a march in honor of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis.
Jan Skogstrom, of Minneapolis, raises her fist with fellow protesters during a march in honor of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond, of Australia, was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Saturday, July 15 after calling 911 to report what she believed was a possible assault.

Damond’s father John Ruszczyk, who lives in Australia, said at a press conference in December he was worried the investigation had been mishandled. "We are deeply concerned about the possibility that the initial investigation was not done properly," he said.

Ruszczyk's comments came just days after Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was recorded on video saying that he didn't have enough evidence to charge Noor because investigators "haven't done their job." Freeman later issued an apology to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

PHOTO: Betsy Custis, right, and others attend a march in honor of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis.
Betsy Custis, right, and others attend a march in honor of Justine Damond at Beard's Plaissance Park, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Minneapolis. Damond, of Australia, was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer on Saturday, July 15 after calling 911 to report what she believed was a possible assault.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he will still make the final decision on whether to file charges.

Freeman had previously brought a grand jury together in January to go over testimony and evidence in the case.