A dawn vigil was held in Justine Damond’s hometown of Freshwater Beach in Sydney this morning to pay tribute to the meditation teacher – but her family and friends are still in the dark about why she was fatally shot by a police officer outside her US home.
Ms Damond’s father, John Ruszczyk, led the silent tribute to the 40-year-old after a US medical examiner ruled the 40-year-old’s death a homicide.
WATCH: The two police officers involved had their body cameras turned off against regulation.
“This individual died of a gunshot wound of the abdomen,” the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office announced.
“Manner of death is homicide.”
With many saying the mother was shot for “no reason”, after she called the police to help someone in need, the possible use of fireworks has emerged as a reason for the shooting.
The sound of fireworks is being blamed for startling Officer Mohamed Noor, the officer with just two years’ experience who shot Ms Damond in her pyjamas.
Fireworks are referred to during the police radio conversations between the two officers who responded to Ms Damond’s call, the police dispatcher co-ordinating the situation, and other officers on their way to the scene.
The dispatcher ask a precinct sergeant to acknowledge “two shots heard from the east” that had been reported.
“We heard those sounds from the station,” the officer responds. “Those are probably aerial fireworks.”
Officer Noor offered his condolences to her family via a statement last night.
“Officer Noor extends his condolences to the family and anyone else who has been touched by this event. He takes their loss seriously and keeps them in his daily thoughts and prayers,” the statement said.
“The current environment for police is difficult, but Officer Noor accepts this as part of his calling. We would like to say more, and will in the future. At this time, however, there are several investigations ongoing and Officer Noor wants to respect the privacy to the family and asks the same in return during this difficult period.”
It has since emerged that Officer Noor was the subject of at least one, and possibly up to three, formal complaints before he shot Ms Damond.
Officer Noor
Her fiancé Don Damond, who was away on business the night of the shooting, released a statement expressing his frustration at the lack of information received by the family.
“Our hearts are broken and we utterly devastated by the loss of Justine,” he said in a statement.
“As you know, it was Justine who called 911 on Saturday evening, reporting what she believed was an active sexual assault occurring nearby.”
“She touched so many people with her loving and generous heart. She was a teaching to so many and living a life of openness, love and kindness,” he said.
“She was so kind and so darn funny. It is difficult to fathom how to go forward without her in my life.”
Damond added they’d been given “almost no additional information from law enforcement regarding what happened after police arrived”.
“We’ve lost the dearest of people and we’re desperate for information,” he said.
“Piecing together Justine’s last moments before the homicide would be a small comforts as we grieve this tragedy.”
The city’s mayor Betsy Hodges has called the incident “tragic” and demanded a full investigation:
The mayor also questioned why the police body cameras and squad camera, which were introduced to the Minneapolis Police Department in 2016, were not switched on when the shooting occurred.
