Justine Damond

A city rallies and loved ones demand answers in the wake of the police shooting

A CLOSE FRIEND OF JUSTINE DAMOND HAS A message for the policeman who allegedly gunned down the 40-year-old: “Have a heart, man,” said American Tom Hyder on ABC-TV’S 7:30. “Just say what happened.”

More than a week after Damond, an Australian vet and yoga instructor living in the US with fiancé Don Damond, was shot dead in Minneapolis after reporting a disturbance behind her home, her alleged killer— officer Mohamed Noor—has not revealed what led to the tragedy. Noor’s partner, Matthew Harrity, however, told authorities he was startled by a loud sound before the shooting: according to a filed search warrant, a woman “slapped” the back of the police car before the shooting.

In the wake of the killing, hundreds took to the streets in Minneapolis on July 20 to protest police shootings. The next day, Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau stood down. “Justine was a beacon to all of us,” said her father, John Ruszczyk. “We only ask that the light of justice shine down on the circumstances of her death.” ■