A police officer in the US state of Minnesota who shot dead an unarmed Australian woman last July was charged with murder, in a case that sparked an international outcry.
Mohamed Noor shot Justine Damond, a 40-year-old resident of the city of Minneapolis, after she called to report a possible rape in the evening hours, and approached the police car that had arrived to investigate.
"From the short time between when Ms Damond Ruszczyk approached the squad car, to the time that Officer Noor fired the fatal shot, there is no evidence that Officer Noor encountered a threat... that justified his decision to use deadly force," Hennepin County prosecutor Mike Freeman said yesterday.
"Instead, Officer Noor recklessly and intentionally fired his handgun from the passenger seat, in disregard for human life."