Justine Ruszczyk: US cop's lawyer says it's 'reasonable' to assume officers are concerned about possible ambush

A lawyer representing the partner of Mohamed Noor, the Minneapolis police who shot Justine Damond, has argued it was “certainly reasonable” for the cops to be concerned about a possible ambush on the night Noor shot and killed the Australian woman. Noor’s partner Matthew Harrity told investigators that he heard a loud sound before the 40-year-old was shot by his companion.

“It’s certainly reasonable to assume that any police officer would be concerned about a possible ambush under these circumstances,” Fred Bruno told the Star Tribune. He added that the recent assassination-style killing of a New York police officer may have caused such fears.

“It was only a few weeks ago when a female NYPD cop and mother of twins was executed in her car in a very similar scenario,” he said. NYPD officer Miosotis Familia was shot earlier this month while sitting in her car in the Bronx.

Harrity said that Noor fired on Damond through the driver’s side window without giving a warning. Before the shooting, Harrity said there was a loud noise, but did not mention what might have caused it. He told investigators that they got out of the police car and gave Damond immediate medical attention after Noor shot her. Harrity also revealed that he and his partner saw a man who stopped and watched as they attended to Damond.

The man was estimated to be between 18 to 25 years old. He was riding a bicycle in the area before the shooting. BCA agents are asking him and other potential witnesses to come forward.

Meanwhile, Noor has opted not to comment about the incident as is his right under law. Investigators maintained they could not compel him to give an interview.

Mayor Betsy Hodges said she wished Noor would speak about the incident, The Guardian reports. She said it is frustrating to have only the smaller picture, not all of it. In an interview to Australia’s “Today” morning show, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government was demanding answers, calling the incident a “shocking killing.”

On Wednesday, it emerged that the 40-year-old life coach contacted 911 twice to report a possible sexual assault near her home. Transcripts of the calls she made was released by city officials.

In her first call, Damond reported that she heard a possible sexual assault. She called a few minutes later when no officers had arrived and was worried they had gone to the wrong address.

Australian woman's US cop killer identified