Another senseless shooting by a cop. This time, it is Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor.

As always, questions after these events are ever-present in the days and weeks following. Here we’ll discuss how the Australian yoga teacher, shot by Minneapolis cop Mohamed Noor, on July 15, 2017, could still be alive today.

The shooting of the Australian bride-to-be by the Somali Muslim Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, holds so many lessons. So many that it’s hard to include all of them in one post. So, this will be the first of multiple posts in order to fully explore what really happened. We’ll start at the most important point—that of how Justine Damond could still be alive today.

THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY TO STAY ALIVE
The simplest way to stay alive is clearly described in the Amazon number one bestselling book Law and Disorder: Abuse, Corruption, and Misconduct in the American Criminal Justice System. With just one sentence, the relevant chapter in that book tells you how you should interact with the police. The entire content of the chapter titled “How to Stay Safe From the Police” simply states… “Never talk to the police.” That is all—because it is just that simple!

By every account we have seen, the Australian woman, identified as 40 year-old Justine Damond, had called the police to report a possible assault outside her home. And sadly, that was her biggest mistake.

While this entire case is clearly a tragedy for the family and friends of the murdered woman, you need to be aware of the obvious lesson that could save you: Summoning any governmental agency to report a problem is always a gamble, and in the case of calling the police for anything, no matter how mundane or routine you think it is, one should always pause to consider the ramifications. Incidents like that of Mohamed Noor shooting Justine Damond are not uncommon. Incidents with this type of outcome happen at such a rate that they could fill volumes.

THE LESSON
The first person the police consider to be the suspect in a case is the caller. They will arrive at your door with their minds already made up that you are the likely problem. When they show up and question you about your call, it is less likely that they think the problem is elsewhere. It is most likely that they are trying to figure how you are the problem.

While the phone call alone did not contribute to Justine Damond’s murder, the obvious fact is that had she never called, she would still be alive today.

You may think it was noble of Justine Damond to call the police for help with a possible sexual assault. That may be true. And, as good citizens we should always try to help one another. However, if you are so inclined to be a similar good neighbor, there is a way to stay alive. Please be sure to never approach the police. If they have questions for you they will find you. Leave it up to them to initiate any contact.

Interested in knowing why our nation’s cities are wasting a lot of money on this problem? Read the next topic in this series “Why Diversifying Our Nation’s Police Departments is Not the Answer”.

Good luck, and stay safe!