A woman approached the back of a Minneapolis police car and “slapped” it shortly before an Australian woman was shot and killed by an officer, according to a search warrant filed by the Minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension (BCA).
The search warrant, which was obtained by Minnesota Public Radio, did not say that the woman was Justine Damond. It said: “Upon police arrival, a female ‘slaps’ the back of the patrol squad … After that, it is unknown to BCA agents what exactly happened, but the female became deceased in the alley.”
Damond, a 40-year-old spiritual teacher who was engaged to be married, was shot dead on 15 July after she called 911 twice to report a possible rape.
Mohamed Noor, who was in the passenger seat of a squad car, shot across his partner in the driver’s seat and hit Damond. Noor is on paid leave.
His partner told authorities that he was startled by a loud noise shortly before Damond appeared at the police vehicle.
The search warrant did not say whether the slap was the loud noise Noor’s partner described, MPR reported.
State authorities are investigating potential criminal charges. Noor, who also faces an internal use of force investigation, was one of several Somali Americans hired by the department in recent years as part of the city’s public effort to diversify.
News of the warrant came hours after personnel records for Noor were publicly released on Monday. The records provided some detail about the training courses the officer took but no insight into his performance on the job.
The records showed that Noor was hired as a cadet in March 2015. In September of that year, he received a letter saying he passed his Peace Officer Licensing Examination and was eligible to become a licensed, sworn officer.
The records also showed that Noor took multiple training courses, including recent in-service training about active shooter situations during the Super Bowl, which will be held in Minneapolis next year. His file also said he passed all of his annual semi-automatic, handgun and shotgun qualifications, but there were no additional details about how he performed.
Questions about police training were raised after details about the shooting were released. Last week, then police chief Janeé Harteau criticized Noor’s actions but defended his training, saying: “This officer completed that training very well. He was very suited to be on the street.”
Harteau resigned on Friday, at the request of the mayor.
Noor completed a degree in economics and business administration before applying to become a police officer. The records released on Monday did not list any awards or commendations. Records previously released show he had three complaints against him, including one that was dismissed with no discipline and two that are pending.