Damond family attorney calls officer's decision to shoot 'insane'

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The family of Justine Damond has hired a high-profile attorney as they seek justice in the deadly officer shooting.

Their attorney, Bob Bennett, just reached a nearly $3 million dollar agreement with the Village of Saint Anthony in the death of Philando Castile who was shot and killed by a police officer.

Bennett is readying a potential lawsuit and also looking for some significant changes in the way Minneapolis police do their job.

"The shooting decision itself is insane to me,” said Bennett.

He told Fox 9 the shooting of Justine Damond makes absolutely no sense and is a blatant violation of an officer's right to use deadly force.

"Any argument that Justine posed any threat to officers is absolutely, utterly ridiculous. And you can't change that fact,” he said.

Bennett shed some new light on what transpired in the alley late Saturday night. In addition to calling 911 twice, Damond was also making calls to her fiancé, who was away on a business trip. Justine was hearing what she thought might be a sexual assault outside and to the right of her Washburn Avenue bedroom towards 50th Street.

The officers’ squad car had driven right past the area and the assumption is Justine headed outside to point them towards the right location as they hit 51st. That's where Officer Mohamed Noor shot across his partner out the open window, killing the 40-year-old bride-to-be.

Bennett dismisses all talk of a potential ambush or a loud noise frightening the officers to the point of shooting their gun.

"I don't know how you are ambushed by a lady in pajamas who called police and rescued ducklings from the sewer,” he said. “Don't know how that person can ambush you."

Mayor Hodges released a statement Thursday saying, the fatal shooting "should not have happened."

She also blasted the officers for having their body cameras turned off when Damond was killed, arguing the Minneapolis Police Department has to do better.