Justine Damond's family accepts $ 20 million settlement with Minneapolis following police shoot-out

May 3, 2019 at 18:03 UTC / Update May 3, 2019, 6:31 PM UTC

By David K. Li

The city of Minneapolis has accepted a $ 20 million settlement with the family of a woman shot dead by a police officer convicted of murder, lawmakers said Friday.

The settlement comes just three days after jurors sentenced former officer Mohamed Noor to third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on July 15, 2017, for Justine's murder. Ruszczyk Damond, a dual American and Australian national.

Damond, 40, called 911 thinking that she had heard of sexual assault or rape in an alley next to her house. But when Noor and his partner, Matthew Harrity, drove to Damond, they mistook him for a threat and Noor opened fire on her. No evidence of sexual assault was found.

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The family filed a $ 50 million lawsuit against the city, an action that was suspended pending the outcome of the criminal trial.

The family pledged $ 2 million to a local charity specializing in gun violence in Minneapolis. City Council voted unanimously to approve the settlement on Friday.

"It's not a win for anyone, but a way for our city to progress," said Mayor Jacob Frey. "And I believe we will go forward together, united in the common belief that such a tragedy should never happen in our city."

Noor testified for his own defense, claiming that he believed his partner – on the driver's seat of the police car – was about to be shot by the woman when approaching their vehicle .

The woman was Damond and she was not armed.

"I fired a shot," Noor told the jurors, before adding, "My intention was to stop the threat and save my partner's life."

Noor, 33, faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 7th. He was detained for a few moments after reading the verdict.