Minneapolis chief of police Janeé Harteau resigned Friday, forced out by the city’s mayor nearly a week after a police officer fatally shot an Australian woman in a case that has drawn international scrutiny and criticism.
Mayor Betsy Hodges said in a statement that, “I’ve lost confidence in the Chief’s ability to lead us further.”
“For us to continue to transform policing — and community trust in policing — we need new leadership at MPD.”
My statement on @MinneapolisPD Chief Janeé Harteau: pic.twitter.com/osH07kXc4i
— Betsy Hodges (@MayorHodges) July 21, 2017
In a statement tweeted by the Minneapolis Police Department, Harteau said that “I have decided to step aside to let a fresh set of leadership eyes see what more can be done for the MPD to be the best it can be.”
Resignation Statement from @ChiefHarteau pic.twitter.com/R2OTIutzgu
— Minneapolis Police (@MinneapolisPD) July 21, 2017
Justine Damond’s death has largely been cloaked in mystery since the 40-year-old was fatally shot, with officials only gradually releasing some details. According to police records and Damond’s relatives, she had called 911 just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday to report what she thought was a possible rape occurring near her home.
Transcripts of Damond’s 911 calls, made public Wednesday, show that she called twice, first summoning officers to her home and then, several minutes later, making sure they had the address right because she could still hear the woman’s screams.
When two officers arrived, investigators said, they were driving near her home with their squad car lights off when a loud noise startled Officer Matthew Harrity, who was driving. Harrity, who spoke to investigators on Tuesday, said that immediately after the noise, Damond approached his open window and Officer Mohamed Noor, sitting in the passenger seat, fired one shot at her through the window.
An incident report released Wednesday showed that at 11:41 p.m., the officers reported a shooting incident and began performing CPR. Damond was pronounced dead 10 minutes later, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, killed by a gunshot wound to her abdomen. Her death was ruled a homicide.
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Adding to the uncertainty about what happened, investigators say, Noor has declined to be interviewed by investigators. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the state agency investigating the shooting, said agents cannot compel an officer to speak to them, and that Officer Noor’s attorney has not provided an update on when or if he would speak with investigators.
Thomas C. Plunkett, the attorney, has not responded to multiple requests for comment about the BCA’s statement or whether the officer will ever consent to an interview.
In a statement Friday, the BCA said they have identified a witness who saw the officers providing medical assistance to Damond.
In a blog post Thursday, Hodges said that based on information that investigators have released publicly, “the fatal shooting of Justine Damond should not have happened.”
The mayor has been sharply critical of the fact that even though every patrol officer in Minneapolis wears a body camera, neither officer present when Damond was fatally shot late Saturday activated his, preventing authorities from having potentially key footage of what happened.
At a news conference Thursday, Harteau said that “Justine didn’t have to die.”
“I believe the actions in question go against who we are as a department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers.”
Harteau is at least the fourth chief of a major police department forced out in recent years amid controversy over a deadly police shooting or a fatal encounter with officers.
Damond was the 541st person shot and killed by police in 2017, according to a Washington Post database of deadly encounters with law enforcement officers in the United States.
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