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Family weeps as Damond's 911 calls played

Justine Damond-Ruszczyk's family wept in a Minneapolis court as they listened to the Australian life coach's haunting 911 calls and saw crime scene photos of her body lying in an alley, partially covered by a white sheet.

Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, 33, has been charged with Ms Damond's second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Noor has pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

Ms Damond's father, John Ruszczyk, her brother Jason Ruszczyk and American fiance Don Damond sat in the front row of the downtown Minneapolis courtroom on Wednesday.

Tears rolled down Mr Damond's cheeks as photos of Ms Damond with the top of her head, bare feet and left hand sticking out from under the white sheet were shown to the jury on large screens in the courtroom.

Her glittery gold iPhone was lying near her feet.

Jason Ruszczyk put his head on his father's right shoulder and his dad patted him in comfort.

The family members were also emotionally jolted as they heard Ms Damond's voice on two 911 calls she made at 11.27pm and 11.35pm on July 15, 2017, to report a woman screaming near an alley behind her Minneapolis home.

She heard the unknown woman call for help.

Ms Damond, 40, formerly from Sydney, was home alone and on the 911 recording she sounds nervous and concerned as she relays her fears to the 911 operator.

"Hi, I can hear someone out the back and I'm not sure if she's having sex or being raped," Ms Damond told the operator.

She called the second time when police did not immediately appear.

"No one is here and I was wondering if they got the address wrong," she asks the operator.

The operator reassures her police are on the way.

The court heard on Tuesday when the police vehicle arrived in the alley, with Noor in the front passenger seat and Officer Matthew Harrity driving, Ms Damond ran down to the vehicle in her bare feet, dressed in her pyjamas and holding her iPhone.

As she approached the police vehicle on Officer Harrity's side, Noor fired his gun from his seat. The bullet passed Officer Harrity's head, out the open driver's side window and struck Ms Damond fatally in the stomach, the court heard.

The court heard Officer Harrity was "spooked" when Ms Damond appeared suddenly in the darkness.

Noor's legal team said Noor felt like he and Officer Harrity were the targets of an ambush and was acting in self-defence.

The trial is expected to last three weeks