Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is demanding answers about why US police shot dead Sydney woman Justine Damond, calling her death inexplicable and shocking.
"How can a woman out in the street in her pyjamas seeking assistance from the police be shot like that? It is a shocking killing," he said yesterday. "We are demanding answers. It seems inexplicable."
Australia's push for information comes amid a suggestion by investigators that the Minneapolis police officers involved may not be offering full and early assistance.
Asked if they were co-operating, county attorney Mike Freeman said: "Yes and no. That's about what I can say now. We are hoping that in the very near future they will talk."
Damond, who was raised in Sydney, died in her pyjamas on Sunday after calling police for help, fearing a sexual assault was happening in an alley behind her Minneapolis home.
When she approached the patrol car, officer Mohamed Noor drew his gun and shot across his colleague and through the driver's side door, killing the 40-year-old.
As Sydneysiders gathered for a dawn vigil organised by Damond's family, a new theory has emerged that fireworks might have sparked the shooting. A source with knowledge of Minneapolis law enforcement, who asked not to be identified, has told AAP it "would be good common sense to investigate" whether the sound of fireworks going off in the area might have startled Officer Noor into opening fire.
The reference to fireworks is heard during the police radio conversations between Noor, his partner Matthew Harrity, the police dispatcher co-ordinating the emergency call and other officers rushing to scene.
At one point the dispatcher asks for a precinct sergeant to acknowledge a report of "two shots heard from the east".
Don Damond is comforted by friends after making a statement to the press over the shooting. Photo / AP
"We heard those sounds from the station," an officer responds. "Those are probably aerial fireworks."
Damond's heartbroken fiance, Don Damond, lashed out about the lack of information he'd been given. The couple had been due to marry next month. Damond was a spiritual healer and life coach originally from Sydney's northern beaches.
Noor and Harrity, both new to the police force, had their body cameras switched off during the incident.
Police officer Mohamed Noor. Photo / Supplied
The independent Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is and has released few details.
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, who fought to force Minneapolis police to wear body cameras after several high-profile incidents in the city, said there were no answers yet about why their cameras were not on.
"I don't know what the answers are," she told Good Morning America yesterday, saying she hoped investigators would release as much information as they could, as quickly as possible.
Key question: Why were cameras not on?
Amid public outrage over the fatal shooting of Australian woman Justine Damond by Minneapolis police, the most persistent question was why officers did not turn on body cameras that could have captured what happened.
Experts on police procedure said the most common reasons for failure to turn on cameras nationally were officers forgetting or getting caught by surprise, not trying to hide something.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the case showed a need for better compliance and training.
"There's a knee-jerk assumption that something nefarious is occurring" when cameras are not turned on, said Steve Tuttle of Axon Enterprise, a leading maker of body cameras and the manufacturer of the equipment used in Minneapolis.
Malfunctions were rare, he said.
Officers currently must press a button to enable the cameras to record video and audio, and Axon, formerly Taser International, will soon release a sensor that will trigger cameras to turn on when a gun is taken from its holster, he said.
Advocates said that when used, cameras protect both officers and the public and in some cases have reduced use of force and complaints against police.
"They should be on, every time," said Steve Soboroff, a member of the Los Angeles Police Commission. Rigorous training and accountability is needed to ensure compliance, especially when police officers are under pressure, he said.
