Officer who shot woman saw policing as a calling
Somali-American’s hiring was cheered as sign of diversity.
The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in an alley shortly after she called 911 to report a possible crime is a young Somali-American and father who felt called to work in law enforcement after getting a college degree in business.
Mohamed Noor, 32, joined the police force two years ago and is among more Somalis hired in recent years as the department continues its efforts to diversify. To those in Minnesota’s Somali community, the largest in the United States, he was seen as a role model, and his hiring was celebrated.
“Among police, he was one of the good guys,” said Suud Olat, a refugee advocate and interpreter.
But Noor is now on paid administrative leave as authorities investigate why he shot and killed 40-year-old Justine Damond, a meditation teacher and bride-to-be. Damond’s fiancé said she called 911 on Saturday night about what she believed was an active sexual assault. She was reportedly standing outside the driver’s side of a squad car when she was shot in the abdomen by Noor, who fired from the passenger seat.
Authorities have released no details about what led Noor to shoot Damond, whose maiden name was Justine Ruszczyk. She had begun using her fiancé’s last name ahead of their August wedding.
No weapon was found at the scene. Noor and the other officer did not turn on their body cameras, and authorities have said squad video did not capture the shooting.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in an interview Wednesday with Australia’s “Today” show, joined the chorus demanding answers about what happened.
“How can a woman out in the street in her pajamas seeking assistance from police be shot like that? It is a shocking killing,” Turnbull said.
Noor’s attorney, Tom Plunkett, released a statement Monday saying that Noor extends his condolences to the family and others affected by Damond’s death. The statement said Noor came to the U.S. at a young age and is thankful to have had many opportunities.
“He takes these events very seriously because, for him, being a police officer is a calling,” the statement said. “He joined the police force to serve the community and to protect the people he serves.”
The statement described Noor as “a caring person with a family he loves, and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing.”
Noor joined the police department in March 2015, and his assignment to a Minneapolis neighborhood was publicized by city leaders and the Somali community. Mayor Betsy Hodges recognized him in a Facebook post last year, noting that his arrival in the 5th Precinct was celebrated. Hodges posted pictures from a community event to welcome Noor. She called it “a wonderful sign of building trust and community policing at work.”
A city newsletter said hundreds of people attended that event. The newsletter said Noor has a degree in economics and business administration from Augsburg College. Before becoming a police officer, he worked in commercial and residential property management in Minneapolis and in the St. Louis area.
But Noor’s short time on the force has not been without blemish.
Records from the city’s Office of Police Conduct Review show he has had three complaints against him. Two are pending, and the third was dismissed without discipline. Under state law, details of open cases and cases that result in no discipline are not released.
Noor was also sued earlier this year after a May 25 incident in which he and other officers took a woman to the hospital for an apparent mental health crisis. The lawsuit claims Noor and other officers violated the woman’s rights when they entered her home without permission and Noor grabbed her wrist and upper arm.