A woman was shot dead by a US police officer after she called 911 to report a noise outside her home.
Justine Damond, 40, had gone outside in her pyjamas to meet a police car at her home in Minneapolis when she was killed at about 11.30pm on Saturday.
Ms Damond (pictured above), who was due to get married next month, was shot through the door of the squad car by an officer sitting inside the vehicle, it was reported.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Ms Damond was killed in an alley outside the home in the Fulton area of the city that she shared with her fiancé, Don Damond.
Two officers responded to her emergency call. While she was talking to one on the driver’s side of the car, the officer in the passenger seat shot her, sources told The Star-Tribune. No weapon was found at the scene.
Neither officer’s body camera equipment was switched on during the incident.
In a statement, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said: ‘Two Minneapolis police officers responded to a 911 call of a possible assault just north of the 5100 block of Washburn Avenue S. just before 11:30 pm Saturday.
‘At one point, an officer fired their weapon, fatally striking a woman.
‘The BCA’s investigation is in its early stages. The officers’ body cameras were not turned on at the time and the squad camera did not capture the incident. Investigators are attempting to determine whether any video of the incident exists.’
The two police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave.
The victim, a life coach and meditation teacher, also went by the name Justine Ruszczyk, but had taken the name of her fiancé, Don Damond, 50, who was on a business trip when she was killed.
Following her death, her 22-year-old stepson, Zach, posted a video demanding answers from the police.
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.’
He said his stepmother called the police after she heard a noise in the alley.
Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges said: ‘I am heartsick and deeply disturbed by the fatal officer-involved shooting that happened last night. I know the neighbourhood 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.’
