Damond heartache

Lawyer blames initial police probe for inability to lay charges

Prosecutors in Minneapolis say they don’t have enough evidence to charge police officer Mohamed Noor for shooting dead former Sydney woman Justine Damond (above). A decision as to what charges he would face was expected by the end of the month.

PROSECUTORS in Minneapolis say they don’t have enough evidence to charge police officer Mohamed Noor for shooting dead former Sydney woman Justine Damond.

A decision as to what charges Mohamed Noor would face over the shocking July 15 shooting was expected by the end of the month.

However, Mike Freeman, the county lawyer who is to de- cide the charges, blamed initial police investigators for not giving him what he needed to make a case against Noor.

Mr Freeman was responding to a group of activists asking him why it’s taken so long to bring charges against Noor, who shot dead Ms Damond, 40, after she called 911 for help on July 15.

“I’ve got to have the evidence, and I don’t have it yet,” he said in a video filmed by protesters who questioned him at a fundraising event.

“Let me just say it’s not my fault. So if it isn’t my fault, who didn’t do their job? Investigators. They don’t work for me. They haven’t done their job.”

He said he was also hamstrung by Noor’s refusal to be interviewed and a lack of evidence from his partner.

“He won’t answer my ques- tions … I can’t talk to her because she’s gone, and the other cop just gave us (expletive). So guess what, I’ve gotta figure out angles of the shot, gun residues, reckless use of force experts.”

Ms Damond had been due to marry fiance Don Damond in August. Her family said yesterday they were “deeply distressed and unhappy” about Mr Freeman’s comments.

“We expected a quality investigation that would be fair, complete and accurate, and apparently that hasn’t happened,” their lawyer Bob Bennett said.

Ms Damond was shot late on a Saturday night in her pyjamas when she reported what she believed was a sexual assault happening in the lane behind the home she shared with Mr Damond.