When Mohamed Noor was assigned to patrol the Minneapolis Police Department’s fifth district last May, the news was met with nearly ubiquitous acclaim from both the city’s Somali community and from local officials.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges wrote on Facebook that Noor’s appointment to the large and ethnically diverse district south of downtown was “a wonderful sign of building trust and community policing at work” and dozens of Somali-Americans showed up the Karmel mall to shake the officer’s hand.

Now 14 months later – and just days after Noor shot and killed 40-year-old Justine Damond Saturday night in an alley of one of the city’s leafy neighborhoods – the mayor is calling on the police officer to speak out about the incident and the mood at the Karmel mall is less jubilant.

“He’s a well-known man in the Somali community, he was well-respected,” Ali Hassan, a Somali-American who owns a popular café in the mall, told Fox News. “It’s heartbreaking news and has really affected the Somali community.”

Noor, who has only been on the force for two years, and his partner, Matthew Harrity, arrived in the alley late Saturday night after Damond called 911 to report an alleged sexual assault. Transcripts of 911 calls that were made public Wednesday show Damond called dispatchers twice to report the possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home.

Harrity told state investigators that the police officers heard a loud bang when they arrived in the alley. Harrity added that Damond appeared at the driver's side window "immediately afterward" and Noor fired, striking her in the abdomen. She died at the scene.

While the killing has rocked the city still grappling with a string of police-related killings over the past couple years, it has also sown concern among some in Minneapolis’ large Somali community that there may be a backlash against them or more incidents of Islamophobia.

“I’ve already received some random emails and phone calls from people threatening me following the shooting,” Mohamud Noor, the director of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota (CSCM) and a candidate for city council, told Fox News. “I don’t think the threats are coming from people in Minnesota, but we are still getting them.”

Noor is not related to the police officer involved in the shooting, but said that he has met him before at various events.

Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul are home to the largest Somali population in North America, with an estimated 25,000 living in Minnesota and Somalis owning hundreds of businesses across the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Somalis first began to immigrate to Minnesota in the 1980s to attend some of the numerous colleges that dot the Twin Cities, but migration picked up in the 1990s during the brutal civil war that engulfed the East African nation during that decade. The ongoing conflicts in Somalia and its fragile political situation continue to drive many people to flee to the U.S.

Despite many Somalis and others Minneapolis residents saying that relations between the community and the city as a whole are in large part positive, there have been incidents of hate crimes and violence. This has created some feelings of frustration in the Somali community directed toward the police force.

Critics accused Minneapolis police officers of using excessive force in 2002 when they fatally shot a machete-wielding Somali man, who was allegedly mentally ill and did not understand English well. The community has also criticized the allegedly harsh tactics employed by federal prosecutors against young Somali men accused of trying to join overseas terrorist organizations.

There is also resentment toward a police department on the part of the greater African-American community due to the spate of recent police-related killings.

Last year, 32-year-old Philando Castile was killed by an officer during a traffic stop in a nearby suburb after he told the officer he was armed. The officer was acquitted in June of manslaughter and other charges. In November 2015, a Minneapolis police officer shot and killed Jamar Clark during a struggle in which the officer said Clark grabbed his partner's weapon.

“There is a lot of anger out there right now. Anytime something happens with ISIS or Al-Shabaab, the Somalis get blamed,” Abdirizak Bihi, a Somali community activist, told Fox News. “They feel victimized.”

Besides their regular duties, Noor – and the dozen or so other Somali-American police officers in Minneapolis - were meant to be a bridge between the community and the police force.

While almost everyone from Minneapolis’ Somali community that Fox News spoke with described Noor in a positive light – using phrases like “great guy” and “good example” - and expressed shock in the killing, they also said that the issue at hand is not about Noor being Somali but about policing.

“I always welcome the police looking like the people they serve, but that is not going to solve the problem,” Noor, the director of CSCM, said. “Right now the feeling is that if you call the cops you don’t know if they are going to shoot you.”</s>Justine Damond: Malcolm Turnbull demands answers over 'inexplicable' shooting

Updated

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the Federal Government is seeking answers about the "inexplicable" shooting of Australian Justine Damond by a police officer in Minneapolis.

Officer Mohamed Noor shot Ms Damond, 40, more than once from the passenger seat of his police vehicle on Saturday night (local time) after she had phoned 911 to report a suspected assault near her home.

Speaking on Channel Nine's Today Show, Mr Turnbull said something "clearly went tragically wrong".

"How can a woman out in the street in her pyjamas seeking assistance from the police be shot like that?" he asked.

"It is a shocking killing, it is inexplicable.

"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."

Around 300 friends and family members gathered for a silent vigil to remember Ms Damond at Freshwater Beach in Sydney this morning.

Candles were lit and flowers were released into the ocean to "honour, love and respect" the life of an "extraordinarily kind, funny, smart and loving woman".

Ms Damond's fiance, businessman Don Damond, has called for justice for the vet and yoga teacher, who has lived in the US since 2015.

Her father John Ruszczyk said yesterday that there was an "ugly truth" about the incident.

Ms Damond called police just before midnight on Saturday after hearing a possible assault taking place in an alley behind her Minneapolis home.

She was in her pyjamas when she approached the police vehicle.

Mr Noor, the first Somali-American officer at Minneapolis' 5th Precinct, was in the passenger seat and fired multiple times across his partner at Ms Damond, Minneapolis TV station KSTP reported.

The medical examiner determined Ms Damond died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen and her death is being treated as a homicide.

Mr Noor and his partner are on paid administrative leave.

Mr Noor had just two years' experience on the force but already had two other complaints levelled at him.

Mr Noor was sued earlier this year after a May 25 incident in which he and other officers took a woman to the hospital on a mental health hold.

The lawsuit claims Mr Noor and the other officers violated the woman's rights when they entered her home without her permission and Mr Noor grabbed her wrist and upper arm.

ABC/wires

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, police, federal-government, united-states, australia

First posted</s>The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, called the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer over the weekend “shocking” and “inexplicable” and said his diplomats were seeking answers from US authorities.

A Minneapolis police officer shot Justine Damond, who was originally from Sydney, around midnight on Saturday while responding to an emergency call she had placed about a possible assault behind her house in a quiet residential neighbourhood.

In an interview with Channel Nine on Wednesday morning, Turnbull said he and the Australian consul general in Chicago were “seeking answers”.

“How can a woman out in the street in her pyjamas seeking assistance be shot like that?” the prime minister said. “It is a shocking killing and, yes, we are demanding answers on behalf of her family.”

In a tweet on Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reported investigators as saying the shooting of Damond followed a “loud sound” near the police vehicle.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which reviews shootings involving the police in Minneapolis, is seeking any civilian video of the incident and said the officer who allegedly shot Damond, who has been identified in local media as Mohamed Noor, and another officer who was in the patrol car with him have been placed on administrative leave.



Dozens of pink flowers were cast into the water at Freshwater beach in Sydney as Damond’s family and friends gathered to pay tribute to her on Wednesday morning.

Holding a bouquet of pink flowers and flanked by relatives, Damond’s father, John Ruszczyk, appeared emotional as he walked to the shoreline at the dawn vigil.

His daughter, who was remembered as a kind, funny and loving woman, was raised on the northern beaches and attended nearby Manly high school.

Family, friends and community members stood in silence for about half an hour holding single candles and clutching flowers in pink, her favourite colour, as the sun rose over the water.

Damond died of a gunshot wound in the abdomen, the Hennepin county medical examiner’s office said in concluding that her death was a homicide.

The Minneapolis mayor, Betsy Hodges, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota have questioned why Minneapolis police who fatally shot Damond did not have their body cameras and vehicle dashboard camera turned on at the time.

Damond, who was also known as Justine Ruszczyk, had taken the name of her American fiance, Don Damond, ahead of their wedding. She owned a meditation and life-coaching company, according to her personal website.

Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau called Damond’s death “tragic” in a statement on Monday and promised a “transparent” investigation.

Noor’s lawyer, Tom Plunkett, said that Noor extends his condolences to Damond’s family. The statement did not describe Noor’s alleged role in the shooting and authorities have not confirmed the identities of the officers involved.

Don Damond, who says he has been kept in the dark about the police investigation, has described his fiance’s death as a loss to everyone who knew her.

“Our hearts are broken and we are utterly devastated by the loss of Justine,” he said earlier this week. “It is difficult to fathom how to go forward without her in my life.”

Australian Associated Press contributed to this report</s>(CNN) — Australia’s prime minister has demanded answers to the “inexplicable” killing of an Australian-American woman shot by police in Minneapolis.

“This is a shocking killing. It is inexplicable,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told Australian Channel 9’s “Today” program Wednesday, in his first public comments since Justine Ruszczyk’s death on Saturday.

“I mean, how can a woman out in the street in her pyjamas seeking assistance from the police be shot like that?” he said. “We are demanding answers, something clearly went tragically wrong.”

Ruszczyk had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault near her home, her fiancé, Don Damond, said Monday.

Two police officers responded, and one of them, Mohamed Noor, shot her in the abdomen, killing her, according to police and an autopsy report.

Police have not explained how the shooting happened, leaving friends, family — and now the Australian government — demanding answers.

Australian friends and family gathered on a beach near Ruszczyk’s childhood home to honor the 40-year-old yoga teacher and spiritual healer in a silent vigil at dawn on Wednesday.

Around 200 friends and family gathered on Freshwater Beach in the northern Sydney suburbs as the sun rose, holding candles in silent memory of the Sydney native, according to CNN affiliate Seven News.

At 7 a.m. local time (5 p.m. ET), mourners silently laid her favorite pink flowers into the swell in a low key ceremony led by her father, John Ruszczyk, Australian media reported.

Members of community where she grew up, including former school friends, ex-colleagues and their families, attended the vigil. The community is still coming to terms with her unexpected death on the other side of the world.

In a press conference held by Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, several Australian journalists probed officials about the experience and training of the officers involved, as well as deeper questions about the country’s gun and law enforcement cultures.

Seven News reporter Ashlee Mullany demanded to know why Ruszczyk’s family in Australia was being kept in the dark as to the progress of the investigation.

Hodges said that the victim’s father and brother would be informed when the independent body investigating the shooting had any information that it was able to release.

Another reported asked why two relatively inexperienced officers were responding to the call, and questioned the effectiveness of their training.

“Why do you have a law and order culture in this city where you have two rookie youngsters arrive in a patrol car late at night, with guns they don’t seem to know how to use?” asked Paul McGeough, chief foreign correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, one of the country’s largest-circulation dailies and the hometown paper of Ruszczyk before she moved to the US.

Hodges admitted that the question spoke to the wider culture of policing in the US.

“We are in a country where people have guns but… these were two fully trained police officers,” she said.

“What I can say is that, even before we had an officer-involved shooting a couple of years ago, even before that, we as a city were doing everything we could to put a foundation of 21st century policing in place.”

In his televised interview, Turnbull said that Australian Consul-General Michael Wood, based in Chicago, is demanding answers of the Minneapolis city government.

“We are providing all the support we can, but this is… it seems inexplicable, but note, there will be some answers given in due course.

“At this point, it is a tragic loss, this young Australian woman and again, our hearts go out to her family with sorrow and with condolence and with love.”</s>MINNEAPOLIS — The Latest on the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by police in Minneapolis (all times local):

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is joining those demanding answers in the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by police in Minneapolis.

In an interview on Australia's Today Show on Wednesday, Turnbull called the death of Justine Damond "a shocking killing."

Damond was shot by a police officer Saturday night after she called 911 to report what she believed was an active sexual assault. The shooting is being investigated by state authorities, who have yet to officially identify officers or give a narrative of what happened.

Turnbull says he's demanding answers on behalf of Damond's family. He says something "clearly went tragically wrong."

The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in an alley is a young Somali-American who felt called to work in law enforcement after getting a college degree in business.

Thirty-two-year-old Mohamed Noor joined the police force two years ago. He is among more Somalis hired in recent years as the department tries to diversify. To those in Minnesota's Somali community, he was seen as a role model, and his hiring was celebrated.

Noor is now on paid administrative leave as authorities investigate why he shot 40-year-old Justine Damond, a meditation teacher.

Damond's fiancé said she called 911 late Saturday about what she believed was an active sexual assault. She was reportedly standing outside the driver's side of a squad car when she was shot in the abdomen.

An Australian woman who called 911 to report what she believed to be an active sexual assault was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer.

Authorities have released no details about what led to Saturday's shooting of Justine Damond. The meditation teacher and bride-to-be was killed by an officer who reportedly fired his weapon from the passenger seat of a squad car.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office says Damond died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Her death was ruled a homicide.</s>MINNEAPOLIS, July 19 (Reuters) - Shortly before she was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer, Justine Damond made two 911 calls to help a nearby woman she thought was possibly being sexually assaulted, according to transcripts released on Wednesday by police.

The death of Australian native Damond from a single gunshot has sparked outrage among family members and the public, and led Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to call it "shocking" and "inexplicable."

In the 911 calls, Damond reported hearing sounds of a woman screaming.

"I can hear someone out the back and I, I'm not sure if she's having sex or being raped," she told the 911 operator on the call at 11:27 pm. "And I think she just yelled out 'help'."

Damond called again at 11:35 pm, and was assured officers were on the way.

The transcripts were released as Minnesota investigators continued to search for a potential witness spotted near the scene of the shooting, hoping he may shed light on the shooting.

Just before Damond, a Sydney native, was shot through a patrol car window by an officer before midnight Saturday, officers spotted an 18-to-25-year-old white male bicycling in the area, according to investigators who interviewed one officer.

As officers provided medical assistance to Damond, shot in the abdomen, the man stopped at the scene and watched, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said late Tuesday. Officials did not respond Wednesday to requests for further detail.

In a transcript of Minneapolis police scanner traffic posted by the Star Tribune, a police dispatcher said, "Female screaming behind the building." That is what Damond reported to 911 when she called.

An unidentified officer responded shots were fired and requested an ambulance, according to the transcript posted by the newspaper. "We got one down," the officer said.

On the night of the shooting, officers Mohamed Noor and Matthew Harrity were driving through an alley searching for a suspect in the reported assault, the bureau said.

At one point, Harrity told investigators he was startled by a loud sound near the patrol car. Immediately afterward, Damond approached the driver's side of the squad car and Noor, who was in the passenger seat, fired his weapon through the open driver's-side window, striking Damond, the agency said.

Agents interviewed Harrity Tuesday but Noor has declined to be interviewed. Noor's lawyer, Tom Plunkett, could not be reached Wednesday to comment.

Harrity's attorney, Fred Bruno, told the Star Tribune Wednesday "it's certainly reasonable" for the officers to fear they could be the target of a possible ambush. Bruno could not be reached for comment by Reuters.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled the shooting a homicide. A spokeswoman for the office declined to say whether it still has the body or on funeral plans.

Damond's relatives could not be reached for comment.

Damond, who was also known as Justine Ruszczyk, had taken the name of her fiance, Don Damond, ahead of their wedding. They were due to be married in August. (Writing and reporting by Chris Kenning Additional reporting by Julia Jacobs; Editing by James Dalgleish)</s>Justine Damond, also known as Justine Ruszczyk, from Sydney, is seen in this 2015 photo released by Stephen Govel Photography in New York, U.S., on July 17, 2017. Stephen Govel/Stephen Govel Photography/Handout via REUTERS

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - The family of the Australian woman fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer has hired an attorney who represented another police shooting victim in the state, local media reported on Thursday.

Justine Damond's family hired Bob Bennett, a lawyer who achieved a nearly $3 million settlement for the family of Philando Castile from the St. Paul, Minnesota, suburb of St. Anthony, according to WCCO-TV.

Bennett could not be reached for comment.

Damond's death from a single gunshot has sparked outrage among family members and the public in both countries. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called it "shocking" and "inexplicable."

Damond, 40, died of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, fired through an open window of the patrol car, after two police officers responded to a call she made of a possible assault in her neighborhood, said the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the incident.

Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor, who fired the shot that killed Damond, has refused to be interviewed by the agency. His attorney released a statement in which Noor expressed condolences to the Damond family, but declined to discuss the incident.

Bennett, interviewed by the TV station, criticized the Minneapolis police.

“She obviously was not armed,” Bennett said to the television station of Damond. “She was not a threat to anyone, nor could she have reasonably been perceived to be.”

Bennett represented the family of Castile, a black motorist who was killed during a 2016 traffic stop. The officer who shot Castile was acquitted in a manslaughter trial in June.

Damond's death, the third at the hands of a Minnesota police officer in less than two years, also prompted comments by Michele Bachmann, a former Republican presidential candidate and U.S. representative from Minnesota.

Bachmann, speaking at a Republican hog roast in Waconia, Minnesota, on Wednesday, called Noor an "affirmative-action hire by the hijab-wearing mayor of Minneapolis," the Star Tribune reported. Noor is Somali-American.

However, Noor's ethnicity is irrelevant, said Abdirizak Bihi, director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center in Minneapolis. "This is racism.

“It's shifting responsibility to a small, marginalized community rather than the city being responsible," Bihi added.

Damond’s death remains under investigation. There is no known video footage of the shooting. Both Noor and his partner had their body cameras turned off, investigators reported.</s>The Australian bride-to-be who was fatally shot by a police officer after reporting a possible assault in Minneapolis called 911 twice to report her concerns and request help, according to transcripts of the calls police released on Wednesday.

The fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk, 40, who had already taken her fiancé's last name, Damond, has prompted family members and Australia's prime minister to demand answers to how she ended up dead at the hands of police.

Damond first called 911 just after 11:27 p.m. local time Saturday (12:27 a.m. Sunday ET) to report "I can hear someone out the back and I, I'm not sure if she's having sex or being raped," and adding, "I think she just yelled out 'help'" but that it was hard to hear, according to the transcripts.

"It's difficult. The sound has been going on for a while, but I think, I don't think she's enjoying it. I think it's, I don't know," Damond told the operator, according to the transcript. "It sounds like sex noises, but it's been going on for a while and I think she tried to say help and it sounds distressed," she said.

The dispatcher told Damond that an officer was on the way. Damond called back shortly after 11:35 p.m. to ask where officers were. Asked whether there was an emergency, Damond told the operator: "Hi, I just reported one, but no one's here and was wondering if they got the address wrong."

Damond, a native of Sydney, was fatally shot by Officer Mohamed Noor, who was in the passenger seat of a police vehicle and fired through the driver's-side window, Officer Matthew Harrity, who was driving, told investigators, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Harrity told the agency's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the shooting, that he was startled by a loud sound near the vehicle and that immediately afterward, Damond approached the driver's-side window and Noor shot her through the open window, the Department of Public Safety said in a statement Tuesday.

Noor has so far declined to be interviewed by the BAC, and the department said it cannot compel him. Noor has retained a private attorney.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called the shooting "inexplicable" and demanded answers, according to Australia's Channel 7 News. Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau said the department immediately asked for an independent investigation and has pledged transparency.

Related: Justine Damond Was Beacon to All of Us,' Grieving Dad Says

Noor, who has been an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department for 21 months, and Harrity, who has been an officer on the force for one year, have been placed on administrative leave, which the Department of Public Safety said was standard.

Harrity's attorney, Fred Bruno, suggested in an interview with the Star Tribune newspaper that the officers could have feared being attacked.

"It's certainly reasonable to assume that any police officer would be concerned about a possible ambush under these circumstances," Bruno told the newspaper in comments that he confirmed to NBC News. "It was only a few weeks ago when a female NYPD cop and mother of twins was executed in her car in a very similar scenario."

Damond had planned to be married next month. She ran meditation workshops at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community, which in a statement called her "a loved and a respected member."

Other police officers in the area canvassed the area that Damond called 911 about and did not find any evidence of a crime related to the incident, Assistant Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told reporters on Tuesday.

Both Noor and Harrity had body cameras, but they were not turned on, the Department of Public Safety said. A camera in the police vehicle also was not turned on.

The police department issued body cameras to officers across the department eight months ago. Supervisor training is expected to be completed by the end of next month, with the goal of ensuring that officers are increasing activation of the body cameras, Arrando said.

The Department of Public Safety also said Tuesday that a bicyclist was seen in the area before the shooting and may have seen the incident. Police want to interview that person and any other witnesses. Mayor Betsy Hodges implored the bicyclist on Tuesday to come forward.</s>Justine Damond, also known as Justine Ruszczyk, from Sydney, is seen in this 2015 photo released by Stephen Govel Photography in New York, U.S., on July 17, 2017. Courtesy Stephen Govel/Stephen Govel Photography/Handout via REUTERS

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Shortly before she was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer, Justine Damond made two 911 calls to help a nearby woman she thought was possibly being sexually assaulted, according to transcripts released on Wednesday by police.

The death of Australian native Damond from a single gunshot has sparked outrage among family members and the public, and led Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to call it "shocking" and "inexplicable."

In the 911 calls, Damond reported hearing sounds of a woman screaming.

"I can hear someone out the back and I, I'm not sure if she's having sex or being raped," she told the 911 operator on the call at 11:27 pm. "And I think she just yelled out 'help.'"

Damond called again at 11:35 pm, and was assured officers were on the way.

The transcripts were released as Minnesota investigators continued to search for a potential witness spotted near the scene of the shooting, hoping he may shed light on the shooting.

Just before Damond, a Sydney native, was shot through a patrol car window by an officer before midnight Saturday, officers spotted an 18-to-25-year-old white male bicycling in the area, according to investigators who interviewed one officer.

As officers provided medical assistance to Damond, shot in the abdomen, the man stopped at the scene and watched, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said late Tuesday. Officials did not respond Wednesday to requests for further detail.

On the night of the shooting, officers Mohamed Noor and Matthew Harrity were driving through an alley searching for a suspect in the reported assault, the bureau said.

At one point, Harrity told investigators he was startled by a loud sound near the patrol car. Immediately afterward, Damond approached the driver's side of the squad car and Noor, who was in the passenger seat, fired his weapon through the open driver's-side window, striking Damond, the agency said.

Agents interviewed Harrity on Tuesday but Noor has declined to be interviewed. Noor's lawyer, Tom Plunkett, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Harrity's attorney, Fred Bruno, told the Star Tribune on Wednesday "it's certainly reasonable" for the officers to fear they could be the target of a possible ambush. Bruno could not be reached for comment by Reuters.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled the shooting a homicide. A spokeswoman for the office declined to say whether the office still has possession of the body or on funeral plans.

Damond's relatives could not be reached for comment.

The bureau said police body cameras were not turned on until after the shooting, which could have shed light on the incident. The squad car camera was also not turned on. They said the police would determine whether that violated any police policies.

Damond, who was also known as Justine Ruszczyk, had taken the name of her fiance, Don Damond, ahead of their wedding. They were due to be married in August.</s>Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stated that the government is demanding answers about the "inexplicable" shooting of Australian Justine Damond by Minneapolis officer Mohamed Noor. The Australian leader believes something "clearly went tragically wrong.”

"How can a woman out in the street in her pyjamas seeking assistance from the police be shot like that?" Turnbull asked on Channel Nine's Today Show. He described the shooting as a “shocking killing.”

"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,” ABC quotes the prime minister as saying. The Australian government assured it is providing support to obtain answers about Damond’s death. Turnbull said the nation’s consul-general is supporting her family.

Her fiancé Don Damond previously called for justice for the death of his bride-to-be, who has lived in the US since 2015. Her father John Ruszczyk said there was an "ugly truth" about the death of the Australian yoga teacher.

Based on the medical examiner, Damond died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. She was shot after contacting 911 to report a suspected assault near her home. Her death is being treated as a homicide case.

Damond was remembered by about 300 friends, family members and community members through a silent vigil in Sydney on Wednesday. Candles were lit as mourners walked down the sand at Freshwater Beach to watch the sun rise and remember the life of Damond. Several people wore pink, her favourite colour, and made their way down to the shore to offer pink flowers into the ocean.

Damond was raised in Freshwater and went to Manly High, a nearby selective school. She studied veterinary science at the University of Sydney. She moved to the US to be with her fiancé, whose name she had taken prior to their scheduled wedding next month.

Her fiancé described Damond’s death as a loss to all people who knew her. He said he has been kept in the dark about the police investigation. Ruszczyk said they only ask that the light of justice shine down for his slain daughter.

When asked by 9News if Noor and his partner Matthew Harrity are cooperating with authorities, county attorney Mike Freeman said they are hoping to talk in the near future. Noor was sued earlier this year, with the lawsuit claiming he and other officers violated a woman's rights when they entered her home without her permission.

Turnbull announces laws obliging Facebook, Google to help with crime investigations
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull expresses shock and demands answers after an Australian woman, who called 9-1-1 for help because of a suspected assault near her home, was murdered on Saturday by a U.S. police officer who had responded in Minneapolis, Minnesota.