Australian Woman Shot by Cop

Before this even starts, this post is not about race, religion, gender, or favorite ice cream flavor. And it should not be. It doesn't matter. The manufactured and very convenient racial Cold War in this country is the single greatest impediment to justice, liberty, and change we have. Violence begets violence, and even the famous "Black Panthers" were really "The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense".

Having said that, this stinks. I have covered or followed many of the recent Officer Involved Shootings that have gained such stupefyingly out of proportion publicity, on both sides. I can say that this is one of the most obvious bad shoots I've seen. I also worked in Public Safety for years and grew up in a strong Military/Public Safety family. I have discussed this problem with many of them and the theme, even amongst LEOs, seems pretty consistent. Lack of training, lack of leadership, too much hardware and testosterone. Too many "War On...." whatevers. Racism is an issue everywhere, so of course it will live in a Police Dept. or Sherrif's Office. It's inevitable. It is also not the most important problem.

Police are essential in this world. Constables in some form have been present through much of human civilization. Oddly, their presence was so innocuous that in spite of their ubiquity, history rarely encounters them. This is how it should be. When police are a regular fixture of daily life, in the news, in your face, on every corner, there is a problem.

But we are digressing. With regard to this story, here is what we know.

Justine Damond was shot by this officer, Mohamed Noor

We know that in his time on the job, he had generated three complaints, one unsustained and two pending, and one lawsuit which was, perhaps coincidentally, for excessive force in dealing with a female subject, as well as possible civil rights violations, according to the SFgate

Rumors are flying around about connections to ISIS and the Sharia observant Somali community which is established in the area. So far, they are just that. I have attempted to confirm and found myself in dubious company.

We also know, according to the Daily Mail that Officer Noor's partner was "stunned" when he opened fire. This indicates to an investigator that Officer Harrity did not perceive a threat when his partner opened fire. This is damaging but not damning. The following is a timeline, also from the Mail, that provides more information better than I can.

And that's what we know. Ms, soon to be Mrs. Damond, who had already taken her fiance's name, was a spiritual guide and meditation teacher, beloved of her family; admired by many. By all accounts, she was trying to do good. She heard what sounded like sexual noises coming from outside her home and to her obviously empathetic mind it did not sound Consensual. She called 911, twice. Finally, tired of waiting, she went outside. That's when the Cops showed up.

--M.Ely, Earth 2017