Mohamed Noor, the on-duty Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot an Australian-born woman on Saturday night, had been with the force for two years and was his precinct’s first Somali-American officer.
On Tuesday night, state investigators released the first timeline of events after interviewing Officer Matthew Harrity, who was riding with Noor when the shooting took place.
Here’s what we know so far about Noor, and about what happened that night.
The incident
The two officers responded to a 911 call Saturday night from Justine Ruszczyk just after 11:30 p.m., according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), which is investigating the case.
She had reported a possible assault in an alley near the Minneapolis home where she lived with her fiancé.
Investigators say Harrity was driving and Noor was in the passenger seat as they drove through the alley in search of a suspect. Their squad lights were off, the BCA said in a summary of its preliminary investigation.
Harrity told investigators he was startled by a loud sound near the car, followed by Ruszczyk’s appearance at the driver’s side window.
As Ruszczyk approached the vehicle, Noor fired his weapon through the driver’s side window and hit her. She died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Both officers were placed on administrative leave while the BCA investigates the shooting.
Noor has declined to be interviewed by agents at this time, the BCA said. Noor’s attorney did not clarify if or when an interview would be possible.
Mayor Betsy Hodges said she’s happy that more information has been released. But she wants to hear more from Noor.
“We cannot compel Officer Noor to make a statement. I wish we could. I wish that he would make a statement, is what I want to say. We can’t compel him by law but I wish that he would make that statement,” she said.
CNN has tried to reach Noor’s attorney multiple times for comment, but has not received a response.
A ‘calling’ to be a police officer
Noor came to the United States at a young age, his lawyer, Tom Plunkett, said in a statement Monday.
He graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis with a degree in economics and business administration. Before joining the department, he worked in property management of commercial and residential buildings, according to the department.
Noor joined the Minneapolis Police Department in March 2015, a city official said. After completing field training in 2016, he became the first Somali-American assigned to the Fifth Precinct, which covers Southwest Minneapolis. Hundreds of people attended a May 2016 meet-and-greet to introduce him to the community.
Department records indicate he had three complaints filed against him, the details of which are not public. One was closed without any disciplinary action and two are still open.
Less information is available on Harrity, who has been an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department for one year.
Noor has a seven-year-old child, according to court documents. He expressed condolences to Ruszczyk’s family in a statement through his lawyer.
“He takes these events very seriously because, for him, being a police officer is a calling,” the statement said. “He joined the police force to serve the community and to protect the people he serves. Officer Noor is a caring person with a family he loves and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing.”
