Minneapolis agrees to pay $20M in death of unarmed woman shot by police officer

The city of Minneapolis has agreed to pay $20 million to the family of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer in July 2017.

The record $20 million settlement comes days after a former Minneapolis police officer was convicted of third-degree murder in Damond’s 2017 killing.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Mayor Jacob Frey and members of the city council announced the settlement, the largest police-related settlement in the city’s history, at a press conference Friday.{mosads}

The Ruszczyk family filed a lawsuit in 2018 seeking $50 million in damages for Damon’s death.

Damond was fatally shot after she called 911 to report what she believed was the possible assault of a woman in an alley near her home. Damond was unarmed, according to The New York Times, and had been holding a glittery cellphone in her hand when she was shot outside the squad car.

Mohamed Noor was convicted Tuesday in connection with the shooting of Damon, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. In addition to third-degree murder, which carries a maximum 25-year sentence, Noor was also convicted of second-degree manslaughter, which carries a 10-year maximum sentence.

The lawsuit brought by the victim’s family alleged that Noor and his partner conspired to cover up evidence of the shooting, including by not turning on their body cameras.

Two million of the $20 million paid out by the city will be donated to the Minneapolis Foundation’s Fund for Safe Communities, a nonprofit battling gun violence in the city, according to the newspaper.

Damond’s fiancé, Don Damond, told CNN this week after Noor was convicted that his fiancée had been let down by those she called for help.

“Where were those values [of ‘to protect and serve’] that night?” he asked, referring to the Minneapolis Police Department’s motto. “She called them because she needed them to protect with courage and serve with compassion,” he said. “But that night, there was a tragic lack of care and compassion for the sanctity of life.”