International
Neighbour Julie Reed reads a statement on the death in the USA of Justine Ruszczyk also known as Justine Damond, in Freshwater on Sydney's Northern beaches. Ms Ruszczyk was shot by police after she called them to a disturbance in Minneapolis
July 17th 2017
21 hours ago
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Justine Damond, of Sydney, was fatally shot by police in Minneapolis on Saturday. Picture: Stephen Govel/www.stephengovel.com via AP
THE mid-western US city where an Australian bride-to-be was mysteriously shot dead by a cop is a “police state” run by “out-of-control officers”, according to a community activist.
Shock has turned to anger in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after Sydney woman Justine Damond, 40, was inexplicably shot “multiple times” by police officer Mohamed Noor.
Ms Damond, a yoga teacher, had heard a noise in the back alley near her home in the Fulton neighbourhood on Saturday night and called the police suspecting someone was being sexually assaulted.
Australian woman Justine Damond was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Picture: Instagram
When a police vehicle arrived about 11.30pm, she talked to the officers through the car door. Mr Noor was seated in the passenger’s seat and shot across his colleague multiple times, killing Ms Damond. She was wearing her pyjamas at the time.
Why the woman was shot remains a mystery.
The Minneapolis Police Department has refused requests to explain the incident, which is now being investigated by the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor, who shot Australian woman Justine Damond on Saturday night. Picture: Facebook/Betsy Hodges
The bureau appeared to confirm on Monday afternoon that Ms Damond was unarmed, saying in a statement that no weapons were found at the scene. It also said that the two officers involved had yet to be interviewed.
The incident has quickly taken on a political dimension in the state, where a spate of fatal police shootings have sparked mass protests.
Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), said Minnesota police departments had a history of “secretive” behaviour after these incidents that denied justice to victims and their families.
A makeshift memorial is left at the scene where a Minneapolis police officer shot and killed Justine Damond in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Picture: Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP
“The main problem is that police have entirely too much power and almost no accountability,” Ms Gross told news.com.au.
“If you don’t hold people accountable, this is what leads to out-of-control officers engaging in dangerous and deadly conduct, day in, day out.”
She said Minnesota was a “police state” where officers had the power to “spy on people at will” and were protected absolutely when they shot people without provocation.
Australian woman Justine Damond with her fiance Don Damond and step son Zach Damond. Picture: Facebook
Police officers have killed 443 people in Minnesota since 2000, an average of 26 a year, according to CUAPB records.
“People are absolutely frustrated and upset … that somebody could be killed being a good neighbour,” Ms Gross said.
“It’s inconceivable how something like this could happen.”
Ms Gross attended a vigil for Ms Damond in Minnesota on Sunday.
“A woman should not call for help then end up murdered,” Bethany Bradley, of Women’s March Minnesota, said at the event.
Ms Damond, known in Sydney as Justine Ruszczyk, was due to marry her fiance Don Damond within weeks, but she had already adopted his last name.
The qualified veterinary surgeon lived with Mr Damond and his son Zach, 22, in a bungalow about 60m from where she was killed. A family friend, Julie Reed, told reporters in Sydney yesterday that she would be remembered for her “energy, intelligence and joy”.
Julie Reed with her husband and daughter, who are friends of the family of Sydney northern beaches woman Justine Damond, 40, who was fata
July 17th 2017
21 hours ago
/display/newscorpaustralia.com/Web/NewsNetwork/Network News/World/
Justine Damond, of Sydney, was fatally shot by police in Minneapolis on Saturday. Picture: Stephen Govel/www.stephengovel.com via AP
THE mid-western US city where an Australian bride-to-be was mysteriously shot dead by a cop is a “police state” run by “out-of-control officers”, according to a community activist.
Shock has turned to anger in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after Sydney woman Justine Damond, 40, was inexplicably shot “multiple times” by police officer Mohamed Noor.
Ms Damond, a yoga teacher, had heard a noise in the back alley near her home in the Fulton neighbourhood on Saturday night and called the police suspecting someone was being sexually assaulted.
Australian woman Justine Damond was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Picture: Instagram
When a police vehicle arrived about 11.30pm, she talked to the officers through the car door. Mr Noor was seated in the passenger’s seat and shot across his colleague multiple times, killing Ms Damond. She was wearing her pyjamas at the time.
Why the woman was shot remains a mystery.
The Minneapolis Police Department has refused requests to explain the incident, which is now being investigated by the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor, who shot Australian woman Justine Damond on Saturday night. Picture: Facebook/Betsy Hodges
The bureau appeared to confirm on Monday afternoon that Ms Damond was unarmed, saying in a statement that no weapons were found at the scene. It also said that the two officers involved had yet to be interviewed.
The incident has quickly taken on a political dimension in the state, where a spate of fatal police shootings have sparked mass protests.
Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), said Minnesota police departments had a history of “secretive” behaviour after these incidents that denied justice to victims and their families.
A makeshift memorial is left at the scene where a Minneapolis police officer shot and killed Justine Damond in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Picture: Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP
“The main problem is that police have entirely too much power and almost no accountability,” Ms Gross told news.com.au.
“If you don’t hold people accountable, this is what leads to out-of-control officers engaging in dangerous and deadly conduct, day in, day out.”
She said Minnesota was a “police state” where officers had the power to “spy on people at will” and were protected absolutely when they shot people without provocation.
Australian woman Justine Damond with her fiance Don Damond and step son Zach Damond. Picture: Facebook
Police officers have killed 443 people in Minnesota since 2000, an average of 26 a year, according to CUAPB records.
“People are absolutely frustrated and upset … that somebody could be killed being a good neighbour,” Ms Gross said.
“It’s inconceivable how something like this could happen.”
Ms Gross attended a vigil for Ms Damond in Minnesota on Sunday.
“A woman should not call for help then end up murdered,” Bethany Bradley, of Women’s March Minnesota, said at the event.
Ms Damond, known in Sydney as Justine Ruszczyk, was due to marry her fiance Don Damond within weeks, but she had already adopted his last name.
The qualified veterinary surgeon lived with Mr Damond and his son Zach, 22, in a bungalow about 60m from where she was killed. A family friend, Julie Reed, told reporters in Sydney yesterday that she would be remembered for her “energy, intelligence and joy”.
Julie Reed with her husband and daughter, who are friends of the family of Sydney northern beaches woman Justine Damond, 40, who was fata
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