Body Cameras Were Not Activated Before the Alleged Fatal Police Shooting of a 9-1-1 Caller
Justine Ruszczyk called the police on Saturday night, July 15, 2017, out of concern that a crime may have been taking place. According to Don Damond, Ruszczyk’s fiancé, she called 9-1-1 because she thought an assault was taking place in an alley behind her home. Two officers went to the scene, and one of the officers fired shots, killing the 9-1-1 caller. Neither of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, officers turned on the body cameras before the alleged fatal police shooting occurred. This was the first such shooting that has taken place in the city since officers were equipped with body cameras last year.
There are about a dozen situations in which police officers in Minneapolis are required to turn on their body cameras. According to the Policy and Procedure Manual at the police department, those instances include suspicious person stops, traffic stops, and before the use of force. The manual says that if the cameras have not been turned on before force is used, officers are to activate them as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Jenny Singleton of the Police Conduct Oversight Commission said that much is still unknown about exactly what happened before shots were fired that night. Singleton expressed her opinion that it appears that the cameras should have been activated before gunfire occurred. She said that since a gun was discharged, it was unquestionably an incident involving use of force.
Ruszczyk’s death is currently being investigated by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The findings will be turned over to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office at some point.
Mike Freeman, Hennepin County Attorney, will ultimately make the decision regarding whether or not the two officers involved in the alleged police shooting will face criminal charges. There is no clear indication in the police policy manual of what type of discipline the officers could face.
Ruszczyk was due to get married to Damond next month. There is widespread outrage over this fatal police shooting.
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