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Justine's memorial marches were held in Minneapolis in 2017
The family of an Australian woman shot by a police officer is seen promising $ 20 million in compensation by the American city of Minneapolis.
Mohamed Noor shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond as she approached her patrol car to report a possible rape when she was raped at her home in Minneapolis on July 15, 2017.
Ms. Damond, 40, was not armed and the former police officer was convicted of his murder on Tuesday.
Her family announced that she would donate $ 2 million to combat gun violence.
- An American policeman guilty of murdering an Aussie
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said unprecedented circumstances had played a role in the settlement, which is the highest ever paid by the city of the state of Minnesota.
"There was no clear threat before the use of force," Frey said. "It's not a win for anyone, but a way for our city to progress."
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The parents of Justine Damond at a press conference in Sydney in 2017
Ruszczyk's lawyer, Robert Bennett, said the family was quietly pleased with the settlement.
This would send "an undeniable message to change the Minneapolis Police Department to help all of its communities," he added.
Noor, 33, is the first police officer in the history of the city to have been convicted of murder for a shooting in service.
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Justine Damond
Ms. Damond, a Sydney and Australian yoga teacher from Australia, had settled in the Midwest to marry her boyfriend, Don Damond.
She had adopted her last name before their marriage and they had to get married a month after the shooting.
How was Justine Damond killed?
Ms. Damond called 911 because she thought that a sexual assault had occurred in the alley behind her home.
In court, Noor recounted that he had remembered seeing a blonde woman dressed in a pink t-shirt approaching the car of her squad the night of the shooting.
He said he opened fire because he thought there was an imminent threat after hearing a loud bang and seeing Mrs. Damond with her arm raised.
- Australia disappointed by the "American nightmare"
Noor said his partner, Officer Matthew Harrity, had shouted "Oh Jesus!" and groped with his gun in his holster before "he turned to me with fear in his eyes".
The defendant said that he "had to make a decision in a split second" and shot Mrs. Damond through the car window to hit her partner.
At trial, the victim was dying from a gunshot wound just over a minute after ending a phone conversation with his fiancé, Don Damond.
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She had told him that the police had just arrived after she had called them to report a possible sexual assault in the driveway behind their house. No such attack has ever been reported.
Death attracted international criticism, and then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was "inexplicable".
What happened in court?
Noor was handcuffed and detained immediately after being convicted on Tuesday by a jury of third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.
He was acquitted of the most serious charge of second degree murder with intent to kill.
Noor told the court that after realizing that he had shot an unarmed woman, he felt that his "whole world was collapsing".
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AFP
Noor is a former Somali refugee who joined the police in 2015.
Prosecutors asked if the noise was real, pointing out that neither Noor nor his partner had initially mentioned anything at the scene of hearing such noise.
Ms. Damond's fingerprints were not found on the police car, the court said.
What was the response of the police?
The consequences cost Jane Harteau her position as police chief in Minneapolis and contributed to the electoral defeat of the mayor of the city in the November 2017 elections.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo apologized to Ms. Damond's friends and family in a statement issued after reading Tuesday's verdict.
"It is indeed a sad and tragic incident that has affected family, friends, neighbors, the city of Minneapolis and the entire world, primarily in his home country," he said. Australia, "he said.
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