Killing of Justine Damond

On the night of July 15, 2017, Justine Damond (née Ruszczyk), a 40-year-old dual Australian-American citizen living in Minneapolis, called 911 twice to report that she believed she heard a woman being sexually assaulted in the alley behind her home. Officers Mohamed Noor and Matthew Harrity responded, found no signs of a disturbance, and marked the scene as safe. As they prepared to leave, Damond approached the driver's-side window of their squad car. Harrity, startled by a noise, drew his weapon but did not fire; Noor fired once through the open window, fatally striking Damond in the abdomen. She died approximately 20 minutes later. Neither officer had activated his body camera, and no audio or video recorded the shooting itself.

The shooting occurred weeks after the high-profile acquittal in the 2016 police killing of Philando Castile in the same metropolitan area, intensifying existing tensions over policing in Minneapolis. It attracted national and international press attention, including strong reaction in Australia, where Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull publicly demanded answers on behalf of Damond's family. Numerous vigils, marches, and protests followed in Minneapolis, and Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau resigned under public pressure less than a week after the killing.

An investigation led to Noor being charged in March 2018 with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; charges were later upgraded to include second-degree intentional murder. Noor turned himself in, resigned from the police department, and was released on bail. At trial in 2019, prosecutors argued Noor's use of force was unreasonable, presenting evidence that Damond's fingerprints were not found on the police vehicle. Noor claimed self-defense, testifying that he believed his partner feared for his life. On April 30, 2019, a jury convicted Noor of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but acquitted him of intentional second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison in June 2019.

Noor appealed, and in September 2021 the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned his third-degree murder conviction, finding the state had not proven the "depraved mind" element required for that charge. He was resentenced to 57 months and released from custody on June 27, 2022, with supervised release to continue until January 2024.

Separately, Damond's family brought a civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis alleging violation of her civil rights. The city settled the suit for $20 million in May 2019, at the time the largest such settlement in Minneapolis history, later surpassed by the 2021 settlement in the case of George Floyd. The killing prompted policy changes, including a July 2017 requirement that Minneapolis officers activate body cameras during all calls and traffic stops.