A 40-year-old Australian woman by name Justine Damond, was shot dead by a US police officer after she called 911 to report hearing noise outside her house.
She was due to get married
next month, she thought the noise might be a possible assault taking place outside
her home, so she decided to get the police involved.
According to a source, when police arrived
outside the home she shared with her fiance, Don Damond, at 5100 block of
Washburn Avenue South, in Minneapolis' upscale Fulton neighbourhood, it was
claimed that she went outside in her pyjamas and got shot through the door of a
squad car by an officer seated inside the vehicle. She had been talking to an
officer in the driver's seat of the police car when the officer in the
passenger seat pulled out his gun and shot her through the driver's side door
at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The officer's body camera was not turned on at the time and
this has raised questions. The woman's family and Minneapolis' Mayor are
demanding answers.
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said: "I am heartsick
and deeply disturbed by the fatal officer-involved shooting that happened last
night. I know the neighborhood well. We have few facts at this point. I want to
know more. I call on the BCA to share as much information with all of us as
quickly as they can. I have questions about why the bodycams weren't on."
Justine Damond used her fiance's surname despite not yet
being married. They were to have their wedding in August. He was away on a
business trip when she was killed. She wrote in her online profile that she was
working as a spiritual healer and meditation coach. She had studied and
practised yoga and meditation for more than 17 years and was also a trained
veterinarian.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), which
is investigating the incident, said two officers responded to “a call of
possible assault" when “at one point an officer fired their weapon,
fatally striking a woman". The BCA added that the officers’ body cameras
were not turned on at the time of the incident and that they are investigating.
Following the shooting, her 22-year-old stepson Zach, whose
dad Don, 50, was due to marry Justine in August, released a video saying he
wanted answers. He said:
"Basically, my mom's dead because a police officer shot her for reasons I don't know. I demand answers. If anybody can help, just call police and demand answers. I'm so done with all this violence."
Hundreds of people gathered outside Justine's home on Sunday
to mourn her. Neighbours described her as a kind and generous woman who helped
people out when they were in need. They also said she and her fiance were so in
love.
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