Kent Erdahl

KARE-TV, Minneapolis-St. Paul

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau resigned Friday night at the request of the city’s mayor as scrutiny of her department hit an all-time high after the shooting of an Australian woman who called 911.

In a statement released Friday, Harteau said: “I’ve decided I am willing to step aside to let a fresh set of leadership eyes see what more can be done for the MPD to be the very best it can be.”

Mayor Betsy Hodges said in a statement that while Harteau has served the city for 30 years with "vision, determination, and strength," the mayor does not believe the chief can do the job any longer.

“As far as we have come, I’ve lost confidence in the Chief’s ability to lead us further — and from the many conversations I’ve had with people around our city, especially this week, it is clear that she has lost the confidence of the people of Minneapolis as well."

Harteau said she was proud of the work she accomplished, but the shooting of 40-year-old Justine Damond by one of her officers, and other incidents, “have caused me to engage in deep reflection.”

She added, “Despite the MPD’s many accomplishments under my leadership over these years and my love for the City, I have to put the communities we serve first.”

Harteau was out of the city on personal time for nearly a week following Saturday’s shooting of Damond, a 40-year-old life coach and bride-to-be who was killed by an officer responding to her 911 call of a possible rape.

The state is investigating the shooting. In Harteau’s first remarks on the case on Thursday — when she returned to work — she was sharply critical of Officer Mohamed Noor while defending his training.

“The actions in question go against who we are in the department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers,” Harteau said Thursday. “These were the actions and judgment of one individual.”

A few hundred people marched through Minneapolis on Thursday in honor of Damond, but the friends, neighbors and community members in attendance said the march also was about seeking justice for all people effected by police violence.

The event began where Damond, who had called police Saturday to report a possible sexual assault, was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer. According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, officer Mohammad Noor shot from the passenger seat of his squad car, past his partner, killing Damond.

Not only did Damond's friends and neighbors attend Thursday's rally, but members of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities and the Minneapolis NAACP participated as well.

Also in attendance was Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile who was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop last year. The officer who shot Castile was acquitted last month of first-degree reckless homicide.

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Demonstrators paused outside Damond's home, where Castile hugged Damond's fiance, Don Damond. Mourners dropped off flowers and handwritten notes in the alley where Damond was shot.

The diverse group in attendance said they were there to demand accountability and justice, not only for Damond, but also to address a more systemic problem. Speakers listed several calls for action, including better training to address the problems that lead to violence and more comprehensive policies for body cameras, which were not activated at the time of the shooting.

“It’s not their community or our community, it’s everybody’s community and we are all one community and we all have to fight for justice," said Jeannine Myrvik, who lives in south Minneapolis.

Also Thursday, Harteau spoke about the shooting for the first time.

Harteau said Damond "didn't have to die." She said she drew that conclusion based on the publicly released information from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

"On our squad cars you will find the words 'To protect with courage and serve with passion.' This did not happen," said Harteau. "I believe the actions in question go against who we are as a department, how we train and the expectations we have for our officers."

She added these were the actions and judgments of one individual.

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"I want to ensure Justine's family, our community and those in Australia that I will do everything in my power to make sure due process is followed and justice is served," she said.

Harteau said she was backpacking in the mountains and wasn't able to easily return, hence the delay in her speaking publicly about the shooting.

In speaking about the officers' body cameras, which were not activated, Harteau said, "It is my belief the body cameras should have been activated. My expectation is that body camera policy is followed ... and those cameras should be on."

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Harteau said Noor completed his police academy training "very well and deserved to be on the street."

She has not spoken with Noor, but she said she'd prefer he speak with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension about what happened.

"There are questions only he has the answers to," Harteau said.

Contributing: Dana Thiede and Cory Hepola, KARE-TV, Minneapolis-St. Paul, The Associated Press. Follow Kent Erdahl on Twitter: @kenterdahl