SYDNEY ― An Australian woman was shot and killed by a police officer in Minneapolis on Saturday night in an incident the city’s mayor has called tragic and disturbing.
Authorities in both the United States and Australia have not publicly identified the woman, but Australian media reports have named her as 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk, also known as Justine Damond.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner confirmed the death of a Justine Ruszczyk, but could not release the cause of her death.
A man who identified himself as her future son-in-law, Zach Damond, said in a video posted to Facebook that the woman was killed after calling 911 to report a sound in the alley behind her home. Damond’s father, Don, was
engaged to be married to the victim, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
“Basically my mom’s dead because a police officer shot her for reasons I don’t know,” he said in the
video, posted to the Facebook page for Women’s March Minnesota. “I demand answers. If anybody can help, just call police and demand answers. I’m so done with all this violence.”
The shooting has raised questions after the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said body cameras worn by the officers involved
were “not turned on at the time and the squad camera did not capture the incident.” The agency said it was looking to see if any other video was taken.
Since 2016, Minneapolis has
required all officers to wear and activate their body cameras “at all times when they could reasonably anticipate that they may become involved in a situation for which activation is appropriate,” before any contact with a citizen.
Both of the police officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, the Star Tribune reports.
“There are still many questions about what took place, and while the investigation is still in its early stages, I am asking the BCA to release as much information, as quickly as they are able to,” Hodges said in a statement. “My thoughts are now with everyone affected by this tragic incident, especially the deceased woman and her family.”
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that
a citizen of the country had been killed, but declined to identify her until her family had been notified, according to a statement obtained by HuffPost Australia. The agency said it would be providing consular assistance to her family.
Vigils have been held around the home of the victim, at times drawing upwards of 200 people, journalists at the scene reported.
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