In wake of the fatal shooting of an Australian woman killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor last week, Police Chief Janeé Harteau resigned Friday, July 21 after intense pressure from Mayor Betsy Hodges and protesters.
The 40-year-old victim Justine Damond called the police to report a possible sexual assault before the tragic shooting occurred. Protests broke out Friday in honor of the victim and Valerie Castile, Philando Castile's mother, joined a march for Damond.
The resignation has been seen by critics as a political move because Hodges is up for reelection. It took five days for Harteau to respond to the incident because she was still on vacation at the time. According to CBS Minnesota, Harteau bumped heads publicly with Hodges in the past.
"The recent incidents do not reflect the training and procedures we’ve developed as a Department," part of Harteau's Facebook statement read. "Despite the MPD’s many accomplishments under my leadership over these years and my love for the City, I have to put the communities we serve first. I’ve decided I am willing to step aside to let a fresh set of leadership eyes see what more can be done for the MPD to be the very best it can be. The city of Minneapolis deserves the very best."
It should be noted that Harteau was chief during the 2015 shooting death of Jamar Clark after a domestic dispute. Assistant Chief Medaria Arradondo will replace Harteau.