Hodges Defends Fundraising Trip

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis' mayor is defending her decision to attend a campaign fundraiser in California days after an Australian woman was shot to death by a Minneapolis police officer responding to her 911 call.

Mayor Betsy Hodges confirmed Wednesday in a Facebook post that she flew to Los Angeles for a fundraising event with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti on July 19, four days after Justine Damond was killed.

Hodges says she was traveling for 27 hours and spent most of that time dealing with the shooting's aftermath. She says she considered canceling the trip but decided her "physical presence in Minneapolis was not required for this brief period."

Damond had called police to report a possible sexual assault behind her home. She was shot as she approached the responding squad car.