MINNEAPOLIS - A lawsuit filed by the family of an Australian woman who was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer last year has been put on hold while a criminal case against the former officer proceeds.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony Leung ruled Tuesday that the $50 million civil rights lawsuit filed by the father of Justine Ruszczyk Damond will be delayed until the state's case against Mohamed Noor is resolved through a dismissal, an acquittal or a sentencing.
Noor is charged with murder and manslaughter in connection with the July 15, 2017 shooting. Prosecutors say he shot Damond after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home. Noor's attorney's say he responded exactly as he was trained.
MPR reports that Noor, his then-partner Matthew Harrity, the city of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department are subjects of a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court that Ruszczyk's father, John, filed in July.
The lawsuit alleges that Noor and Harrity "conspired to deprive Ruszczyk of her civil rights in the shooting and its aftermath." The July 2017 shooting was not captured on video because Noor and Harrity didn't have their body cameras or dash camera activated as they cruised through the alley behind Ruszczyk's home after she called 911 to report a possible assault.
The former cop is scheduled to go to trial in April .
