Father Demands Answers About Australian Woman’s Shooting

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By Will Racke

The father of a 40-year-old Australian woman killed last weekend by a Minneapolis police officer is calling on investigators to release more information about the moments leading to his daughter’s death.

John Ruszczyk, whose daughter, Justine Damond, was shot to death by an officer who had responded to her 911 call, said Tuesday that the shooting was his family’s “worst nightmare.”

“Justine was a beacon to all of us,” he told reporters in Sydney, according to Reuters. “We only ask that the light of justice shine down on the circumstances of her death.”

Damond, a native of Sydney who lived in Minneapolis with her fiancé, was killed in the alley behind her home while talking to police officers late Saturday night. Law enforcement sources told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Officer Mohamed Noor, who was seated on the passenger side of his police cruiser, shot Damond through the driver’s side window while she was talking to the driver.

The officers’ body cameras were not turned on at the time of the incident, apparently in violation of Minneapolis police policy, and the cruiser dashcam did not capture footage of the shooting. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions (BCA), which investigates officer-involved shootings, has confirmed that investigators did not recover any weapons from the scene. BCA said Monday that its investigation is in the “early stages,” and that more information will be provided following interviews with witnesses.

The Hennepin County medical examiner confirmed that Damond died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and ruled her death a homicide in a report issued Monday evening. Noor and the other officer, identified by the Star Tribune as 25-year-old Matthew Harrity, have been placed on administrative leave, per standard department policy.

The Damond family and Minneapolis officials have asked the police department for an explanation as to why neither officer had turned on his body camera before arriving on the scene. According to the department’s body camera policy, officers must turn on their cameras during “any contact involving criminal activity” and “any citizen contact,” as long as it is safe to do so.

In her first public comments on the shooting, Minneapolis police Chief Janeé Harteau said Tuesday she has asked that the investigation into the shooting be “expedited.”

“I have many of the same questions and it is why we immediately asked for an external and independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting death,” she said.

Justine Damond’s family in Minneapolis has also called for more details to be released to the public. Don Damond, Justine’s fiance, wondered how police ended up killing the person who had placed the 911 call.

“We lost the dearest of people and we are desperate for information,” Don Damond told reporters outside his home. “Piecing together Justine’s last moments before the homicide would be a small comfort as we grieve this tragedy.”