City of Minneapolis agrees to pay a $20M settlement to the family of Justine Damond after the police officer who shot her is convicted of murder
Associated Press
May 3, 2019
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.'
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 in a pink top and pajama pants appear at the driver's side window, raising her right arm.
Jurors took more than 11 hours to reach a verdict after hearing three weeks of testimony.
News of the settlement comes just days after Damond's family filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50million, 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 $2million to a local foundation's fund aimed at addressing gun violence.
City leaders commended the family for addressing the broader issue of police violence, particularly affecting communities of color.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Justine's father, John Ruszczyk, called the trial a 'painful journey' but said he was 'satisfied with the outcome'.
The death of Damond, a 40-year-old yoga instructor, 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.
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.
EDITOR’S NOTE: “City leaders commended the family for addressing the broader issue of police violence, particularly affecting communities of color.” What kind of shit is that? This was not a case of a white cop shooting a black person. This was a black cop shooting dead an unarmed white woman.
4 comments:
The city was sure proud of their Somali-American policeman. Not so much now.
When you retain a police office who is AT BEST barely competent for political purposes you run the risk of getting bit on the ass. That's what happened here.
@ Bob, You and I should know. We saw plenty of that in the CDCR system.
True, but at least most of our serious dumptrucks only did stupid shit at the prison where nobody who cared was looking and nobody had cell phone cameras.
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