Minneapolis Police Shooting Becomes International Incident
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — 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."
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SYDNEY (AP) — Australia's airwaves, newspapers and websites have been dominated by the death of a Sydney woman shot by police in Minneapolis.
News of Justine Damond's death when she was shot by a Minneapolis police officer late Saturday has stunned many in her native Australia. The shooting has also fed into Australians' darkest fears about America's culture of gun violence.
Tuesday's front-page headline in Damond's hometown Sydney newspaper summarized the reaction in blunt terms: "AMERICAN NIGHTMARE."
America's reluctance to strengthen its gun regulations and its seemingly endless stream of shooting deaths have long confused and concerned Australians. In 1996, Australia instituted tough gun ownership laws following a deadly mass shooting. At the time, then-Prime Minister John Howard warned Australians against following America's lead on gun control.