Before Justine Damond's Fatal Shooting, a Slap

Warrant reveals that someone hit police car before shooting
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 25, 2017 12:05 PM CDT
Woman Slapped Police Car Before Justine Damond Was Killed
In this file photo from Thursday, then-Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau, center, stands with others during a news conference in Minneapolis.   (Maria Alejandra Cardona)

A woman approached the back of a Minneapolis police car and "slapped" it shortly before an Australian woman was shot and killed by an officer, according to a search warrant filed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The search warrant obtained by Minnesota Public Radio doesn't specifically say that the woman was Justine Damond, but: "Upon police arrival, a female 'slaps' the back of the patrol squad ... After that, it is unknown to BCA agents what exactly happened, but the female became deceased in the alley." News of the warrant came hours after personnel records for the officer who fatally shot Damond were publicly released Monday, the AP reports. The records provided some detail about the training courses the officer took but no insight into his performance on the job.

Noor is on paid leave after he killed Damond, a 40-year-old spiritual teacher who was engaged to be married, on July 15 after she called 911 twice to report a possible rape. Noor, who was in the passenger seat of a squad car, shot across his partner in the driver's seat and hit Damond. His partner told authorities that he was startled by a loud noise shortly before Damond appeared at the police vehicle. The search warrant didn't say whether the slap was the loud noise Noor's partner described, MPR reports. State authorities are investigating potential criminal charges; Noor also faces an internal use of force investigation. Noor was one of several Somali-Americans hired by the department in recent years as part of the city's public effort to diversify the force so it better reflects the city. Click for more on the records released relating to Noor's training. (More Justine Damond stories.)

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