Charging decision expected in Justine Ruszczyk shooting by year's end

A photograph of Justine Ruszczyk surrounded with colored roses
A photograph of Justine Ruszczyk surrounded with colored roses and other arrangements sat on a stage at Lake Harriet for her memorial earlier this month.
Maria Cardona | MPR News file

A prosecutor in Minnesota says he expects to decide by the end of the year whether to charge a Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot a woman who called 911 about a possible sexual assault in her neighborhood.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says his office has received emails and phone calls from the public pressing him to charge the officer who killed Justine Ruszczyk last month. Freeman says an investigation and review of a police shooting typically takes four to six months.

The death of the 40-year-old Australian native has drawn international attention since the July 15 shooting by Officer Mohamed Noor. Damond had called police to report a possible assault and met officers in an alley behind her home where Noor shot her.

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