Mohamed Noor was in breach of his own police department's strict bodycam rules when he opened fire and killed bride-to-be Justine Damond.

He now faces severe punishment, even if exonerated over the shooting, and could lose his job for not following the guidelines.

The 31-year-old officer knew he was compelled to switch on his body camera and record his interactions when answering a 911 call to reports of a sexual assault.

Department policy says it should be switched on for 'any search', and crucially, 'prior to any use of force'.

But when he and his partner Matthew Harrity pulled their squad car up to an alley where Justine had reported hearing somebody being raped, neither turned the cameras on.

She was shot dead shortly after making the 911 call. Justine was gunned down by Noor from inside the squad car and the shooting has been described as a 'homicide' by the victim's fiancé Don.

Mohammed Noor (left) shot Justine Damond, 40, (right) who was wearing pajamas, from the passenger seat of his squad car while she spoke to his colleague on the drivers side in a back alley. His bodycam was switched off in breach of department rules

Clear rules: These are the department policies which apply to all its officers on the use of bodycams. Officers Noor and Harrity were in breach of them by not activating their cameras for a 'search', 'before any citizen interaction' and 'prior to any use of force'.

Equipment: The exact model of body cam - or Body Worn Camera in Minneapolis PD's official policies - is unknown but this example worn by a Cleveland PD officer is typical

Police critics claim footage of the shooting would have helped with the investigation as to why the officer decided to open fire from the passenger seat and shoot the 40-year-old Australian.

But now investigators will have to rely solely on the evidence of the two officers and any independent witness.

No information has been given as to why officer Noor opened fire and why he did not turn his camera on, but DailyMail.com can disclose that he will not be able to claim his equipment was out of battery power.

If that was the case, he would have been required to remove himself from his shift so his bodycam could be re-charged.

The Minneapolis Police Department Body Camera Program, which applies to all 840 sworn officers, states that even in lesser serious calls bodycams must be switched on.

The rule book says officers are 'required to activate a BWC [body worn camera] at traffic stops, when dealing with suspicious persons and at vehicle stops.

'Further, they must be activated during any search of vehicles, persons or buildings and during use of force.'

The decision to equip all police with bodycams in Minneapolis came after the black motorist Philando Castile was shot dead in Falcon Heights, a suburb of its twin city St Paul, by an officer in 2016 in controversial circumstances.

CONDOLENCES BUT NO ANSWERS FROM COP WHO BROKE BODYCAM RULES Mohamed Noor's attorney issued a statement on his behalf Tuesday. 'Officer Noor extends his condolences to the family and anyone else who has been touched by this event. He takes their loss seriously and keeps them in his daily thoughts and prayers. He came to the United States at a young age and is thankful to have had so many opportunities. He takes these events very seriously because, for him, being a police officer is a calling. He joined the police force to serve the community and to protect the people he serves. Officer Noor is a caring person with a family he loves and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing.' The current environment for police is difficult, but Officer Noor accepts this as part of his calling. We would like to say more, and will in the future. At this time, however, there are several investigations ongoing and Officer Noor wants to respect the privacy to the family and asks the same in return during this difficult period.' Advertisement

The rules state that body cams must be operated when 'contact involves criminal activity, physical or verbal confrontations or is otherwise adversarial of Advising of Miranda rights.'

The fact that the officers were called to an emergency call involving a possible sexual assault means the bodycams shold have been on.

Officers have to ensure equipment is functioning properly at the start of each shift and 'remove themselves from service if there is a loss of battery power during a shift so that the BWC can be recharged.'

Members of the public should be informed they are being recorded 'when feasible' and if asked conformation should be given that the camera is in operation.

It is unclear whether the officers operated their cameras at any stage during the incident, particularly after the shooting.

But the Minneapolis Police Department orders: 'Once activated, the BWC must be left in record mode until the end of the event or such time as the role of the officer is such that it is unlikely any event will occur that is required to be recorded; e.g., the officer's role is merely to protect an accident scene or monitor a traffic post.

'The officer must record the reason for deactivating a BWC by narration and include the reason in any police report or by added remarks in the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system if no report is written.

'Critical Incidents Involving deadly force by or against a police officer or that result in great bodily harm or death officers involved in critical incidents will NOT be allowed to view BWC video unless and only if approved by the assigned investigating agency.'

Pride: This picture dates from 2015 and shows Officer Noor being inducted into the Somali American Police Association

The Minneapolis cop who shot dead bride-to-be Justine Damond through a squad car door (pictured is a computer generation reenactment of the incident) 'offers condolences'

John Ruszczyk (pictured), the heartbroken father of Justine Damond, has called for the 'light of justice to shine down' on the mysterious death of his daughter at the hands of U.S. police

Don Damond,fiance of an Australian woman shot dead by police after she called 911 to report a sexual assault happening in the alley behind her home, fought back tears as he claimed that the cops have failed to provide any explanation

Police officers are warned not to alter or destroy footage or audio, but an exception allows authorized personnel to duplicate recordings for legitimate reasons, such as for evidence in a case or to redact or blur images as required by the Data Practices Act.

Officers guilty of violating the body cam policy 'will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination.'

Bethany Bradley of the local women's support group who has been supporting Donald and his son said: 'It is not acceptable that the police did not have body cams working and there has been no dash cam given over. No audio and no 9/11 transcript or recording. It is so wrong.

'We cannot accept this lack of information. We need a federal inquiry into her death. The whole matter is absurd.

'How can Justine be killed like this when she was the one who called the police and then to be shot by them?

'A few years ago I had to call the police when there was a man in my yard and I would be scared to do that now in fear that I might get shot like Justine just for dialing 9/11.

'We need more information from the police about the body cams and what happened on Saturday night.'