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Saturday, July 29, 2017

I have to say, this is a bit strange...

I've watched the news on the case of Officer Mohamed Noor shooting and killing Justine Damond last week. In my review, I've found these articles a bit thought provoking. Looking at these, they are not straight facts, not even completed analysis. They are snapshots with a heavy dose of opinion put in, as do my comments. Here we go.

Blue Lives Matter gives a decent overall look at the situation, with a link to the Star Tribune.
Possible Reason For Justine Damond Shooting Released

Minneapolis, MN – New details have been released on the shooting of Justine Damond which give a possible cause of the shooting.

The BCA released information on Tuesday from an interview with Officer Matthew Harrity, who was driving the patrol car when his partner, Officer Mohamed Noor, shot over Officer Harrity and through the driver’s door, fatally hitting Justine Damond.

In the interview, Officer Harrity said heard a loud noise prior to Officer Noor firing his weapon. The BCA said, “Harrity indicated that he was startled by a loud sound near the squad,” according to Star Tribune.

Immediately after the loud noise is when Justine Damond approached the squad car in her pajamas, and Officer Noor fired his weapon.

During the radio audio of the incident, a dispatcher references “two shots heard to the east.”

An officer responded, “We heard those sounds from the station, those are probably aerial fireworks.” It’s believed that those fireworks may be the loud noise that the officers hears.

It is not clear at this time if the shooting was an accidental discharge from being startled, or Officer Noor was responding to what he perceived to be gunshots while a person approached them, or some other reasoning. Officer Noor has still not been interviewed.

If the shooting is determined to have been accidental, criminal charges would be appropriate and are certain to be filed. If the shooting was an intentional act, then all of the circumstances would need to be judged to determine if it was objectively reasonable.

The incident initially occurred on Saturday night at around 11:30 PM when officers responded to a 911 call just north of the 5100 block of Washburn Avenue S. for a report of what sounded like a possible fight. Family members say that Justine Damond is the person who called 911.

According to unnamed “sources,” Star Tribune reports that both officers were in their vehicle as they pulled to the end of an alley on W. 51st Street between Washburn and Xerxes Avenues.

The officers were wearing body cameras, but did not turn them on until after the shooting. Early indications are that the officers were in full compliance with the department camera policy...

Some observations. One, why did the officer take his weapon out of the holster? If you heard gunshots (or fireworks) why pull the gun out while you're still in your car? Granted, pulling your primary weapon out while seated in your vehicle can be a challenge, the holsters are a point in the ass. That's why my backup 357 is loose in my pocket where I can easily obtain it. Also, I'm getting the impression this did not occur in Da Hood, so why so paranoid.
As far as the camera is concerned, they generally are not turned on until after you leave the car. Every idiot will scream "cameras should be on at all times...' but this is not practical. Batteries die if you use them 24/7, hell, getting through a shift can be a challenge. So yes, the seem to have been within policy.

Tse being said, Front Page Magazine has a radical idea on why the officer fired:


'First Somali' Officer Mohamed Noor Murdered Australian Woman

...This is what happens when you put diversity over public safety.

Justine Damond, an Australian woman, called 911 to report a sexual assault happening nearby. Instead she was murdered by Mohammed Noor, a Somali migrant with multiple complaints against him after only two years on the force.

And body cameras weren't turned on.

Mohammed Noor was a diversity hire. Part of the usual pattern of community policing bringing in recruits who match the demographics of local areas. This isn't always a bad idea. Until problematic figures have their problems swept under the rug because... diversity.

Mohamed Noor had little more than two years’ experience on the force...

...Noor joined the Minneapolis Police Department in March 2015 and is the first Somali-American police officer assigned to the 5th Precinct in the southwest part of the city.

In total, he reportedly has had three complaints made against him in two years — including the lawsuit.

Two are from 2017 and one from 2016 is closed and according to Lou Raguse of Kare 11 is marked ‘not to be made public’.

The two incidents we know about involved women. Including this latest one. And that's a distinct pattern. And a very predictable one.

Ms Damond, dressed in her pyjamas, reportedly approached the driver’s side window of the police car when it arrived in the alley and officer Noor shot across his partner at Ms Damond more than once from the passenger seat.

Firing from inside a car. And across your own partner. At a woman wearing pajamas who had reported a sexual assault.

“This was not a woman who would have presented any kind of threat to police. She was a gentle, loving person,” said Joan Hargrave, who lived down the street and befriended Ms Damond a year ago through a shared love of dogs.

She didn't present a threat to police. But maybe she represented a threat to the Somali mindset and the Islamic psyche...

I've watched this event with interest. The BLM crowd is screaming about how fast the process works when a black cop shoots a white woman. Hate to tell you, it's moving slow. And people are still putting out stuff with no support or justification (see part about him being Muslim).

Again, let this process play out. The officer has rights, the shooting needs to be investigated to insure it was justified, an if not, the legal process again the officer can begin.

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