Last July an Australian woman named Justine Damond was shot to death in Minneapolis by a Somali-American policeman named Mohamed Noor. Ms. Damond had just called 911 to report what appeared to be a sexual assault in progress in the alley behind her house. When the police arrived, Mr. Noor fired his gun from the passenger’s side in front of his partner, who was driving, and killed Ms. Damond, who was standing at the driver’s side window.

It has taken eight months, but Mohamed Noor has finally been charged with the killing. The charges are third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. If convicted on both counts, he could receive a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.

Three or four months of the lag time were taken up with the deliberations of a grand jury empanelled by the prosecutors. A couple of months ago a prosecutor remarked that they didn’t have enough evidence to charge Mr. Noor. Now, suddenly, they’ve found the evidence, and the officer has indeed been charged.