The partner of a Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman who had called 911 told investigators he was startled by a loud sound near their squad car seconds before his partner fired his weapon.
Officer Matthew Harrity’s account, as given by state investigators, is the first to emerge of the moments leading up to the death of Justine Damond, a 40-year-old meditation teacher and life coach who was to be married next month.
It is also the only one, since Officer Mohamed Noor — who fired the shot that killed Damond — has so far refused to be interviewed.
Damond’s death on Saturday night last week in an alley behind her southwest Minneapolis home sparked anger and a demand for answers both in the city and in her home country, where the shooting has been front-page news for days.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said Damond approached the driver’s side window of the squad car immediately after Harrity said he had been startled by the sound.
Noor, in the passenger seat, shot Damond through the open driver’s side window, the BCA said.
Harrity was interviewed on Tuesday, but the BCA said Noor’s attorney did not say when or if Noor would talk to investigators, and under the law an interview cannot be compelled.
According to the BCA, Harrity told investigators that he and Noor responded to a 911 call from Damond about a possible assault near her home at about 11:30pm on Saturday.
Harrity was driving the squad car as the officers went through an alley to look for a suspect. The squad lights were off when the noise startled him, Harrity said.
No weapon was found at the scene and the officers did not turn on their body cameras until after the shooting.
Harrity said that after the shooting, the officers got out of their vehicle and gave Damond immediate medical attention.
Harrity said that he and Noor saw a man bicycling in the area before the shooting. That man stopped and watched as officers attended to Damond.
In a news conference after the BCA’s update, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said she wished Noor would speak to investigators.
“It’s frustrating to have some of the picture but not all of it,” she said. “We cannot compel Officer Noor to make a statement. I wish we could. I wish that he would make a statement.”
The city also said it planned to release a transcript of Damond’s 911 call after it is shared with family members. Officials had initially declined to make it public.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday gave an interview to Australia’s Today show, shortly before the release of details from the BCA’s preliminary investigation, and joined the chorus demanding answers.
“How can a woman out in the street in her pajamas seeking assistance from police be shot like that? It is a shocking killing,” he said.
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