A grand jury has reportedly been convened in Minneapolis to gather evidence in the shooting of Australian woman Justine Damond.

A decision on whether to charge the officer, Mohamed Noor, over Damond’s death has been beset by delays, which the Hennepin county attorney, Mike Freeman, has previously blamed on the lack of evidence gathered by investigators.

The Star Tribune reported on Wednesday that Freeman has convened a grand jury to question key witnesses under oath. Grand jury deliberations are held in secret – and the fact that one has been convened is not officially acknowledged.



The decision appears at odds with a previous announcement by Freeman that he would not use grand juries in police shooting cases, a practice he has described as one of the biggest regrets of his career. That announcement was made during an investigation of the shooting of unarmed black man, Jamar Clark.

Why? The question that still hangs over Justine Damond's killing Read more

“The accountability and transparency limitations of a grand jury are too high a hurdle to overcome,” Freeman said in March 2016.

Freeman’s office was unable to comment on whether a grand jury had been convened.

“Because grand jury proceedings are secret, we cannot comment on grand jury subpoenas or any testimony that occurs before a grand jury,” the office said in a short statement.

“Hennepin county attorney Mike Freeman will continue the office’s two-year-old policy where he makes the decision on whether or not to bring charges in officer-involved shootings.”

Noor shot Damond in Minneapolis in July 2017 after she called police to report a woman screaming outsider her house.

The latest information released by investigators suggests Damond approached the police vehicle, tapped the back and walked to the driver’s side window. Noor was in the passenger seat and is believed to have shot across the driver, striking Damond in the abdomen.

Justine Damond's family say investigation into fatal shooting may have been botched Read more

Activists released a video of Freeman, the county’s top prosecutor, speaking about the case late last year. Freeman criticised investigators for failing to secure enough evidence.

“I’ve got to have the evidence and I don’t have it yet,” he says in the video. “And let me just say, it’s not my fault. So if it isn’t my fault, who didn’t do their jobs? … Investigators and they don’t work for me.”

He also criticised Noor’s decision to invoke his constitutional rights and not speak to investigators. Freeman also attacked Noor’s partner, who was in the driver’s seat at the time.

“He won’t answer my questions and he doesn’t have to. We all have fifth amendment rights ... I can’t talk to her because she’s gone and the other cop just gave us shit,” he said.



The Star Tribune reported that Damond’s family were happy with the decision to convene a grand jury. The family’s lawyer, Bob Bennett, said witnesses had been uncooperative and untruthful.

“I and the family are happy that the Hennepin county attorney is using every means at their disposal to get people to cooperate in this investigation and suffer the penalties of perjury if they lie to the grand jury,” Bennett told the Star Tribune.

