Twin Cities Cop Charged in Summer Shooting
The Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed woman last July was charged Tuesday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The Minneapolis StarTribune reports the chargin of Mohamed Noor comes eight months after the case sparked "protests, international outrage and the firing of the city’s police chief."
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Officer Noor acted “recklessly” when he fired into the dark, killing 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond, after she called 9-1-1 to report a suspected rape in her south Minneapolis neighborhood.
WCCO-TV says Ms. Damond’s neighbors and friends gathered to provide comfort and support. They’ve started a campaign called “Justice for Justine” and met near her home Tuesday night.
“She was an innocent woman whose life was taken,” said one neighbor. “I feel badly for the officer, because I cannot believe that he intended to kill an innocent woman.”
Another neighbor was philosophical. “The family will finally get some answers. There’s a calming peace brought today,” he said.
[Sources: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, WCCO-TV News]