I imagine that the shooter’s partner is a bit freaked out since it appears that the bullets would have passed within inches of his face. He could easily have been killed too.
Sad story, as an 2nd generation immigrant, I understand how this woman didn’t understand the nuances needed when interacting with American police, even when you are the one contacting them. Many immigrants don’t understand this and being white maybe doesn’t circumvent this lack of awareness.
Why are you already blaming the victim @VANDEMORY1342 ? We have no info suggesting that she acted inappropriately.
She was from Australia, so her native language was English. She had lived in the US for two years and moved here because she had an American boyfriend. I doubt she has any less understanding of “the nuances needed when interacting with American police” than most middle class white Americans living in a suburb.
Maybe it’s the immigrant cop who didn’t understand the nuances of dealing with the public.
I am NOT saying I know that; ONLY that at this point we’ve no idea of what happened so I think it’s unfair for you to clam “this woman didn’t understand…”
Many native born Americans are shot by police. i doubt nuance was involved
@jonri I’m going by the statements the police departments have given already.
Source please @VANDEMORY1342 ? I haven’t seen any statement from any police department that says anything at all like this. That doesn’t mean there is no such statement, of course , but if there is, please link to your source. Thank you.
Not much nuanced here, if the cops were in the cop car, the woman was outside the car and wasn’t armed, doesn’t seem to be much nuance there. Nuances usually occur for example when you are dealing with a cop in a tense situation, like for example if a cop pulls you over and is at your car window, if you are going to reach for your wallet or purse you let them known what you are doing, don’t make fast moves and so forth, and if a cop stops you on the street, it is advisable to be careful how you interact, no sudden movements, keep you hands in sight, etc. Sadly this is especially true if you are black or hispanic (even when dealing with cops who are non white), sudden movements or the like can get you killed. Given the circumstances in this, the woman was not armed, as far as I can tell she didn’t approach the car in a hostile way, and the cops were not in immediate danger, kind of hard to say that this was caused by nuance or cultural differences.
Also the police were responding to a possible sexual assault. If anything they would’ve been expecting to see a woman in distress and/or a male aggressor. When responding to a rape I would hope cops are trained to be prepared to see a woman running or otherwise approaching them while not in the frame of mind to immediately comply with verbal instructions.
@anomander - x2
Simply because they were responding to a possible sexual assault, they should have expected a woman in a nightgown, probably upset. But I would hope police officers are trained not to be “terrified” of anyone - male, female, black, white. in nightgown or street clothes.
It may be that the perception of crime being much higher than it actually is had been ingrained in the officers before they became officers so that, despite professional police training, they may be more quick to see encounters as criminal threats where there may not be. Then, as the officers frequently deal with criminal suspects (many of whom are actually criminally guilty and threatening) in their usual job duties, that may reinforce a mindset that criminal threats are everywhere, making them even more quick to see criminal threats where there may not be.
The officer who was closer to the woman apparently did not feel threatened. And he was newer to the force.
Body cam policy is often negotiated with police unions.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-police-body-cameras-no-laws-20170113-story.html
OK, seriously? She was in the USA for two years. Australia does not have the police concerns that exist here. She may very well have kept walking to the car or whatever–and we do not know–as she interpreted the situation her own Australian way.
A number of years ago my family was driving home from dinner and saw a car with its lights on. I told S to get out and see if the door was locked and turn them off. He refused explaining to me that
the police could be called as it could look like he was breaking into the car. He is Korean born but I do not think that was his point. Honestly, I would never ever have thought of that. The we talked about what to do if stopped by the police and I, an aging adult, did not know that you put your hands on the steering wheel and do not move. I honestly would have reached for my purse to get my license out.
So–she was from Australia-- maybe there were nuances and a lack of fear on her part.
We do not have enough information yet at all.
She should not have had to be afraid about approaching a police car.
Nothing in this story makes sense. I cannot even concoct any story line that would lead to what happened. She called 911 for help. She was not armed. I read she was in her pajamas. Even if she swore and yelled at the police, is that a reason to shoot her? What could she have done to provoke them??
I hope the investigation is thorough enough to determine what the Somali has been recently looking at on his computer and who he may have been communicating with.
Perhaps he was recently radicalized and decided this was his chance.
I don’t buy the “was afraid” theory… he was inside the car and his partner was closer to the victim.
edit: I don’t necessarily think it is likely, but it would be a viable explanation. I haven’t seen any other explanations that I would even except as possible. =/
We can agree upon that. The issue is that some people are already implying that “she must have done something” to get shot. See post #41 . I don’t think it’s fair for you to speculate that “she may very well have…”
There is some more information now and it is appalling. Please read the report from the BCA–the agency charged with investigating this. Read this FIRST. All of the news reports about the BCA investigation basically paraphrase this.
https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ooc/news-releases/Pages/Update-on-BCA-Investigation-of-Minneapolis-Officer-Involved-Shooting.aspx
Victim called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her house.
The officers drove down the alley with both the lights on the cruiser and their body cams turned off.
The driver has told investigators that he heard a loud noise near the squad car. Almost immediately thereafter the victim approached the car on his side. Officer Noor discharged his gun immediately through the open window on the driver’s side.
In other words, Officer Noor seems to have shot in response to the “loud noise” he heard just before the victim approached the car—not in response to anything the victim said or any argument. He MAY have thought the “loud noise” was a gun shot.
Officer Noor, on advice of counsel, has refused to speak to investigators.
After Noor shot her, both officers performed CPR on her. An unidentified man on a bike observed them for a minute or two and then rode off.
Investigators are asking that the man on the bike come forward and tell what he saw.
When other officers arrived at the scene, they searched the alley for weapons and found none. So, it’s probable that the “loud noise” wasn’t a gun shot at all.
So…as I understand it, a woman reports a possible sexual assault to another woman, heard screaming. The officers arrive and drive down the alley with their lights off. One shoots a woman who approaches their squad car, apparently before she said a word to them. The only man in the vicinity they see is not questioned and rides off on his bike.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/us/justine-damond-minneapolis-shooting-australian.html
@oregon101 She interpreted events her own “Australian way”? What is that supposed to mean? Are you now saying that we should all fear being shot if we approach a police car? I fail to see the nuance when an unarmed women in her pajamas is shot by a cop, especially when the cop she was speaking to wasn’t alarmed. Listen to his comments. He says he was shocked by his partner’s actions.
This case may finally get some action since the Australian Prime Minister has today stated on British TV that he won’t allow this case to be buried.
Other than making statements on TV, what can the Australian Prime Minister do?
I wish each case could be evaluated on its own merits. There is so much negativity surrounding police - we all know police are not all bad or all good. And not all victims are all bad or all good.
I for sure would never volunteer for that job. I can’t imagine pulling a car over and walking up to it not knowing who was in it. And I know police get tainted because of what they see people doing each day.
This case sounds sketchy, instead of circling the wagons they need to be addressing it pronto.