The cop who shot and killed an Australian woman after she called 911 to report a crime near her Minneapolis home failed a police field training exam 4 times.
A police source speaking to a reporter on condition of anonymity said Mohamed Noor, 31, was hired as a cop despite failing his exams because the city had a diversity quota.
SEE ALSO: Cop Who Killed Woman Was Under Investigation for Assaulting Another Woman
Justine Ruszczyk called 911 on Saturday night, July 15, to report a possible assault in an alley near her upscale home.
Officers Matthew Harrity (who was driving) and Noor arrived minutes later and proceeded slowly down an alley between 2 rows of houses.
Ruszczyk, who was known professionally as Justine Damond, left her home to speak to the officers who were about a block away from her house.
At the end of the alley, Damond, who was wearing pajamas, approached the driver’s side window and spoke with officer Harrity.
Harrity would later say he was startled by “a loud noise” moments before Damond appeared in the alley.
Noor, who was in the passenger seat, reached across Harrity and fired multiple times through the open driver’s side window, striking Damond.
The 40-year-old yoga instructor was pronounced dead at 11:51 pm from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. She was holding her cell phone when she was shot.
A police source said Harrity was “left stunned” by his partner’s action. He reportedly suffered hearing loss after Noor discharged his weapon near the officer’s face.
A police source close to the investigation said Harrity did not view Damond as a threat and his gun was holstered.
Noor has so far refused to give a statement to the Minneapolis Bureau of Apprehension, the state agency that is conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting.
Minneapolis Mayor Betty Hodges said on Tuesday, “We can’t compel” Noor to give a statement. “I wish we could.”
Noor, who joined the force in 2015, was celebrated by the mayor and other city officials as the 5th precinct’s first Somali Muslim cop.
He racked up three complaints in 2 years. One complaint in 2017 is closed, and according to KARE 11 news, is marked “not to be made public.”
There are rumors that Noor is going through a bitter divorce, and that he may have been “triggered” when he saw a woman outside wearing pajamas — a violation of sharia law.
