QUESTIONS have been raised about why police were granted a warrant to search Justine Damond’s home hours after she was killed by a Minneapolis officer.

US TV network ABC is reporting that Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators were given permission to search the Australian woman’s residence hours after she was fatally shot.

A leading US-based legal expert has questioned the warrant, saying he “cannot find probable cause to search her home”.

“I don’t understand why they’re looking for bodily fluids inside her home,” law professor Joseph Daly — of Mitchell Hamline School of Law — told ABC.

“Whose bodily fluids are they looking for? Is she a suspect? I don’t understand why they’re looking for controlled substances inside her home.

“When I read that search warrant, I really cannot find probable cause to search her home.”

JUSTINE’S FINAL JOURNEY

Earlier, News Corp exclusively revealed that Damond’s ashes will be returned to Australia with the full blessing of her American fiance.

Ten days after she was fatally dead by Minneapolis cop Mohamed Noor, an agreement was struck between fiance Don Damond and her father John Ruszczyk to have her body cremated and her ashes returned to her home country.

It came as Minnesota residents mocked the state’s police officers in a series of bizarre street signs saying: “Warning: Twin cities police easily startled.”

The signs, which authorities last night moved to remove, referenced the July 15 shooting.

Damond family spokesman Tom Hyder said a memorial for the life coach is expected to be finalised within days and held in August in Minnesota.

“She will be cremated and her ashes sent back to Australia,” he told News Corp.

Mr Hyder has denied there is a split between Damond’s family on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and her fiance in the US.

media_camera Australian woman, Justine Ruszczyk Damond with partner Don Damond. Picture: Supplied

“The Damonds and Justine’s family in Australia are in agreement about what happens after her memorial. They are in frequent contact,” he said.

Damond, 40, was killed after calling police about a possible sexual assault that she heard in the alley behind her home.

When she approached the driver’s side door of the police car, Noor fired once across his partner Matthew Harrity, hitting Damond in the abdomen. Despite CPR attempts, she died 20 minutes later.

A search warrant filed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension states that a woman approached the back of a Minneapolis police car and “slapped” it.

The search warrant obtained by Minnesota Public Radio doesn’t specifically say that the woman was Justine Damond, but: “Upon police arrival, a female ‘slaps’ the back of the patrol squad ... After that, it is unknown to BCA agents what exactly happened, but the female became deceased in the alley.”

The search warrant did not say whether the slap was the loud noise Mohamed Noor’s partner Matthew Harrity described, MPR reported.

media_camera Australian woman, Justine Ruszczyk Damond, with Don Damond and Zach Damond killed by MPLS police officer, Minneapolis. Picture: Facebook

Meanwhile, Minneapolis Police said they were in the process of having mysterious fake street signs, suggesting local officers were easily startled, removed from poles across the city.

The orange signs show the silhouette of a police officer jumping in the air with a gun in each hand shooting in both directions.

“We are aware of the signs and Minneapolis Public Works is removing them,” Minneapolis Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Catherine Michal said.

The police have also released internal records in a bid to dispel claims about Noor and Harrity’s employment and training backgrounds.

The documents, which are heavily redacted, show Noor was accepted into the police academy in March 2015 and completed a range of training, including a ‘peace officer licensing exam’ in August that year.

He completed 29 weeks of cadet training before being hired on a 12-month probationary contract, initially being paid $US19.63 ($24.75) an hour before receiving a salary bump in November 2015 to $US26.97 ($34) an hour.

media_camera Police officer Mohamed Noor poses for a photo at a community event welcoming him to the Minneapolis police force. Picture: AP

Noor also passed all his training requirements on his first attempt.

The personnel records also show Noor had various jobs, including as a hotel manager, insurance consultant and mobile phone salesman before joining the force. His reasons for leaving each job have been redacted.

Harrity was hired in January 2016 after working as a reserve police officer.

He had previously worked as a corrections officer in a prison, as a cashier at a bottle shop and volunteered as a youth basketball coach.

The Minnesota Police Department has denied reports that Noor had been ‘fast tracked’ to becoming an officer saying “Minnesota is one of only two states in the (US) to require a two-year degree to become a licensed police officer.

Noor and Harrity’s personnel files show both men had completed the weapons training, implicit bias and procedural justice courses required.

However, the files do not assess their performance on the job.

Originally published as Cops’ warrant for Justine’s home