The family of an Australian woman shot dead by US police after calling to report a crime has sued the city and several police officers.
Justine Ruszczyk Damond who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer Photo: Justine Ruszczyk / LinkedIn via ABC
The fatal July 2017 shooting of 40-year-old life coach Justine Ruszczyk Damond in Minneapolis sparked international outrage amid a wave of US police shootings that fueled a debate over the use of force by law enforcement in the US.
Police officer Mohamed Noor was charged with murder and manslaughter for shooting Damond through the door of his patrol car as she approached him after calling police to say she thought she had heard a woman being raped.
Mr Noor was fired the day the charges were filed and is free on $400,000 bail.
His lawyers have said he will plead not guilty and argue he used reasonable force.
The civil suit, filed in federal district court in Minnesota, names Mr Noor, 32, and his partner Matthew Harrity, 25, and accuses them of conspiring to conceal the facts about the shooting and failing to record the incident on their body cameras.
The suit also names Minneapolis and its current and former police chiefs as defendants.
"Justine ... got killed for doing something," the family's attorney, Bob Bennett, told a news conference.
"A year later we still don't have an explanation, so we're going to sue these people to find out."
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Justine Ruszczyk Damond's father John Ruszczyk, argues police violated her civil rights and seeks more than $US50 million in damages.
City Attorney Susan Segal said they were reviewing the lawsuit, but "meanwhile, serious criminal charges are pending against Mohamed Noor, and it's critically important that the criminal case be allowed to proceed through trial without interference."
Prosecutors said Harrity, who was driving the police car, said he was startled by a loud sound and both officers "got spooked" when Damond appeared.
After the shooting, Minneapolis officials said procedures had been violated and Damond "didn't have to die."
- Reuters
