The shooting of Justine Damond by Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor is under investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. When the investigation is complete, the BCA’s file will be turned over to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman for possible prosecution. This week I sought to update the case through correspondence with the BCA. They’re still working on it; they’ll get back to us when they’re done.
My update wasn’t much, but it elicited a message from Power Line reader Mike McDaniel. Mike has been following the case from a distance at Stately McDaniel Manor. This morning, in his most recent post, Mike observes that he has been alerted to the accessible online versions of the two search warrants obtained by the BCA telephonically in the early morning hours immediately following Ms. Damond’s killing.
News reports have noted the existence of the warrants. The warrants have frequently been quoted in news reports. To my knowledge, however, the reports have omitted copies of the warrants themselves.
The search warrants are posted on Scribd here (to search the alley where Ms. Damond was killed) and here (to search the Damonds’ home).
In the linked post Mike reviews the search warrants. He notes their formulaic quality. He observes some peculiarities. They are both interesting and worth a look. Among other things, the alley warrant is notable for the narrative circumlocution “the female became deceased[.]”
As posted, both warrants include the “return,” i.e., the officer’s account of what was found. He notes that the return on the alley warrant is vague as to the number of shell “cartride(s)” found.
He finds the warrant for the search of the Damonds’ home mystifying. The warrants omit the BCA agents’ time of arrival on the scene. At least I can’t find it. I think their time of arrival must have been later than Mike assumes in some of his comments.
Mike infers from this warrant that the officers were on a “fishing expedition.” The return on this warrant notes that nothing was taken. I would guess that means that nothing was found. This warrant in particular adds another mysterious element to a case that already challenges understanding.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.