Australians, bride-to-be's dad rocked by Minneapolis police shooting

Australians, bride-to-be's dad rocked by Minneapolis police shooting

Australians, bride-to-be's dad rocked by Minneapolis police shooting, Justine Damond, 40, was a meditation instructor who moved to the U.S. in 2015 to be with fiance Don Damond. She was shot just before midnight Saturday in an alley outside her home, unarmed and in her pajamas.

“We thought yesterday was our worst nightmare, but we awoke to the ugly truth and it hurt even more,” her father, John Ruszczyk said Tuesday local time in Sydney. “Justine was a beacon to all of us. We only ask that the light of justice shine down on the circumstances of her death.”

Damond was approaching two officers in their patrol car when Officer Mohamed Noor reportedly shot her from the passenger seat. He and his partner, who has not been identified, have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Police have been tight-lipped about the details of the shooting, citing a pending investigation. On Monday the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office revealed that Damond died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen and ruled the death a homicide, a finding that does not necessarily mean charges will be filed in the case.

Australians struggled to make sense of the killing. Police there generally do carry guns, but gun violence is rare and the overall homicide rate is a small fraction of the U.S. rate. Australia instituted tight gun control laws following a 1996 shooting rampage in Tasmania, when Martin Bryant, 28, shot and killed 35 people in a café. 

The Australian government’s official travel advice for its citizens notes that the U.S. has a higher level of violent crime than Australia. "Be vigilant about the possibility of gun crime in all parts of the United States," the advisory warns.

Australians, bride-to-be's dad rocked by Minneapolis police shooting

American Nightmare blared a headline in The Daily Telegraph of Sydney. The Courier Mail chimed in with Shot dead in her pyjamas, Why on earth did U.S. cops kill Aussie who called for help.

The fact that the Minneapolis officers involved in Damon's shooting did not have their body cameras turned on added to the sense of confusion.

"Everyone is in shock, just in shock," Kat Kinnie, an Australian friend of Damond's told CNN. "She was such a beautiful life on this planet, and she was spreading so much love."

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said both officers at the scene of Damond's death should have switched on their cameras when she approached them in the alley. Freeman said he will review the findings of state investigators to determine whether either officer should be charged.

Police Chief Janee Harteau called the killing a “tragic death” and said she understands why the community has questions.

The officer who shot Damond, two-year force veteran Mohamed Noor, issued a statement through lawyer Tom Plunkett extending condolences to Damond's family and loved ones.

"He takes their loss seriously and keeps them in his daily thoughts and prayers," the statement said, adding that “Officer Noor is a caring person with a family he loves, and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing."

Plunkett said Noor came to the United States at a young age and considers being a police officer a calling. He joined the force "to serve the community and to protect the people he serves," the statement says.

Contributing: Kent Erdahl, KARE-TV, Minneapolis-St. Paul; Associated Press

MSN