The final words of an Australian woman shot dead outside of her home in Minnesota in the United States have been revealed.
Justine Ruszczyk Damond, 40, called 911 in July 2017, alleging that she had been sexually assaulted.
Police officers responded to her home, and she went outside to talk with them.
But as the former Sydney resident approached a patrol car, she was shot in the abdomen by police officer Mohamed Noor, 32.
She then uttered her last words: “I’m dying,” or “I’m dead,” after Noor shot her.
She then died.
The officers were preparing to leave when Damond approached them in her pajamas.
Harrity, who was driving, told investigators he was “spooked” and feared for his life and had removed his gun from his holster before Noor reached across and fired his weapon out the driver’s side window.
Noor was charged with second-degree murder and third-degree manslaughter this week.
“There is no evidence that Officer Noor encountered a threat, appreciated a threat, investigated a threat or confirmed a threat that justified his decision to use deadly force,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said at a press conference announcing the charges.
“Instead, Officer Noor recklessly and intentionally fired his handgun,” Freeman said.
Freeman said that the evidence showed Noor had “a depraved mind.”
He also said that the reason the charges took eight months to file was due to a lack of cooperation from fellow officers.
“I’ve never had police officers who weren’t suspects refuse to do their duty and come talk to us,” Freeman said. “These are hard jobs and tough questions. The police patrol, investigate, and present us cases—we evaluate those cases and have to make the charging decision and do the prosecution.”
Noor faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted of both charges.
The family of Damond, including her fiancé Don Damond, said in a statement that the charges were “one step toward justice.”
“No charges can bring our Justine back. However, justice demands accountability for those responsible for recklessly killing the fellow citizens they are sworn to protect, and today’s actions reflect that,” the statement read.
New Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who was appointed after the former chief was ousted following Damond’s death, apologized to the family while announcing that Noor was kicked off the force.
“I am committed to ensuring that myself, and every member of the MPD, learn from this tragedy,” he said in a statement. “It is imperative that we as a Police Department build trust in those places where it did not exist, and increase the trust in those places where it has been shaken.”
Noor surrendered after the charges were issued and was booked into the county jail, where he’s being held on $500,000 bail.
“The facts will show that Officer Noor acted as he has been trained and consistent with established departmental policy,” Tom Plunkett said in a statement. “Officer Noor should not have been charged with any crime.”
