Adam Bettcher
The Minneapolis police officer accused of fatally shooting a 40-year-old woman who’d called 911 on Saturday night has been identified as Mohamed Noor. Noor, who joined the force in early 2015, has been placed on paid leave along with his partner, who was also present at the time of the incident. Although authorities have not offered an explanation for why Damond was shot, sources cited in local media say Noor allegedly shot Damond from the passenger seat of his squad car after she approached the vehicle. Damond had earlier phoned police to report an assault in the alley behind her home. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office said late Monday that Damond died from a gunshot wound to her abdomen. In her first public comments on the shooting, Police Chief Janeé Harteau said an investigation into Damond’s “tragic death” has been expedited to “provide transparency and to answer as many questions as quickly as we can.”