Killing of Justine Damond
On July 15, 2017, Justine Damond (née Ruszczyk), a 40-year-old Australian-American woman, was fatally shot by 31-year-old Somali-American Minneapolis Police Department officer Mohamed Noor after she had called 9-1-1 to report the possible assault of a woman in an alley behind her house. Occurring weeks after a high-profile manslaughter trial acquittal in the 2016 police killing of Philando Castile, also in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the shooting exacerbated existing tensions and attracted national and international press.
| Killing of Justine Damond | |
|---|---|
| Part of police brutality in the United States | |
Justine Damond | |
| Location | West 51st Street alley between Washburn and Xerxes avenues, Fulton, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 44.91071°N 93.31823°W |
| Date | July 15, 2017 11:41 p.m. CDT (UTC–5) |
Attack type | Homicide by firearm, manslaughter, police brutality |
| Victim | Justine Maia Damond, aged 40 |
| Perpetrator | Mohamed Mohamed Noor |
| Verdict |
|
| Convictions | Second-degree manslaughter |
| Charges |
|
| Sentence | 4+3⁄4 years in prison (paroled after 3+1⁄6 years; originally 12+1⁄2 years in prison) |
| Litigation | Wrongful death lawsuit settled for $20 million |
In April 2019, Noor was tried before a jury on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Noor claimed self defense. The jury convicted Noor of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but he was acquitted on the charge of intentional second degree murder. In June 2019, Noor was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison. Noor's conviction on third-degree murder was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court on September 15, 2021. In October 2021, his sentence was revised to 4.75 years in prison, with credit for time served. Noor was released from custody on June 27, 2022, and was ordered to remain on supervised release until January 24, 2024.
Damond's family brought a civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis alleging violation of Damond's civil rights, which the city settled for US$20 million in 2019.