'Inexplicable': PM demands answers over killing of Aussie woman by US police officer
Australia’s Prime Minister has called the fatal shooting of an Australian woman, Justine Ruszczyk, 40, also known as Justine Damond an “inexplicable” killing and said his government is demanding answers.
“How can a woman out in the street in her pajamas seeking assistance from the police be shot like that?" Malcolm Turnbull rhetorically asked as he spoke on Australian Channel Nine’s Today Show, adding, that his government is “seeking answers for this.”
He denounced the shooting as a “shocking” and “inexplicable” killing and said “something went clearly tragically wrong.”
"Yes, we are demanding answers on behalf of her family and our hearts go out to her family and all of her friends and loved ones,” he added.
Earlier Wednesday, some 300 people gathered for a silent vigil on Freshwater Beach, Sydney, the city where Ruszczyk was born, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
Ruszczyk's fiancé, US businessman Don Damond, said he is also “desperate for answers.”
"Sadly, her family and I have been provided with almost no additional information from law enforcement regarding what happened after police arrived,” he said as cited by ABC.
The fatal shooting occurred in South Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ruszczyk was shot and killed in the alley behind her house Saturday evening after she called police to report a possible assault.
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified the two Minneapolis police officers involved in the fatal shooting as Mohamed Noor and Matthew Harrity.
Harrity was driving, while Noor, who was in the passenger seat, was the officer who shot and killed Ruszczyk.
He killing struck a chord in Australia and was the subject of numerous TV reports and newspaper articles recounting the tragically high number of people killed by American police.
