Police partner of Justine Damond's killer testifies at grand jury

The partner of the Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Australian Justine Damond has reportedly testified in front of a grand jury, as prosectors consider whether or not charges should be laid.

Matthew Harrity, who was present when his partner, Mohamed Noor, shot Damond in July 2017, was called in to testify on Thursday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Noor shot Damond after she called 911 to report a possible assault outside her home. Shortly after the two officers arrived, Noor fired his gun at Damond from the passenger seat of the police car, according to the latest public reports from investigators.

Neither officer had their body cameras on and Harrity is the only witness to the shooting.

On Thursday he reportedly testified in the Hennepin county government centre. Testimony in grand jury trials is kept secret, and it was unclear how long Harrity’s appearance lasted.

It is also standard practice for prosecutors not to acknowledge that a grand jury has been convened. However, local media reported in January that the Hennepin county attorney, Mike Freeman, had convened the grand jury as he decided whether or not to charge Noor.

The president of the Minneapolis police federation, Bob Kroll, confirmed that 35 to 40 Minneapolis police officers had been subpoened to testify in the trial.

Freeman had previously announced that he would not convene grand juries for police shooting cases, a decision made during his investigation into the police shooting of Jamar Clark, an unarmed black man killed in November 2015.

Harrity had previously told the Minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension that he and Noor were startled by a loud noise before Noor fired his gun at Damond. Noor has declined to speak with the same investigators.

On Thursday the county attorney’s office declined to comment about Harrity’s testimony.

Last year the fallout from the Damond shooting forced the Minneapolis chief of police, Janeé Harteau, to resign after the city’s mayor said she had “lost the confidence of the people”.

Under state law, grand juries can require people to testify by issuing subpoenas, but witnesses can refuse to talk by invoking their fifth amendment rights, which prevent self-incrimination.