Justine Damond, 40, was shot dead by a Minneapolis police officer Saturday after calling 911, leaving her fiancé, Don Damond grieving and devastated by her death.

Fiancé makes a statement about Australian woman's shooting death

Damond said in a statement on Monday that the family is “utterly devastated” by Justine’s death. He stated that they had lost the “dearest of people” and that the family is desperate for information about her shooting death. Damond added that finding information about the Australian yoga instructor’s final moments would give some small comfort as the family grieves over the tragedy.

Damond said their lives had been forever changed for knowing Justine and that she was kind and funny, making them laugh all the time with her humor and great wit. He said it's hard to imagine going forward without Justine in his life.

The Minnesota Star-Tribute reports that Damond and his family were standing outside their Fulton home while Damond gave his statement. He said his fiancée had called 911 to report what could have been an active sexual assault in the alley behind their home. Damond went on to add that he and Justine's family have received virtually no information from the Minneapolis Police regarding the shooting incident which occurred after officers arrived on the scene.

People reports that the couple was due to marry in August this year, but Justine, whose maiden name was Ruszczyk, had already taken her fiancé’s name.

Officer's identities revealed by Minneapolis Police

The Minneapolis police officer responsible for shooting Justine was on Monday identified as Mohamed Noor. His partner was also identified as Matthew Harrity, who fired no shots during the incident.

Damond had died from a gunshot wound to her abdomen.

Police chief calling for speedy investigation

Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau said in a statement Monday that she is requesting a rapid investigation into Damond’s shooting.

She said she had many of the same questions as the family had. There will be an independent and external investigation into the shooting death of Damon. Harteau went on to assure the public that she understands why everyone has so many questions about the incident. She added that she has asked the investigation be expedited to answer those questions as quickly as possible and to provide transparency.

Timeline of the shooting incident

Minneapolis police had said Monday in a statement that two officers responded to a 911 call near Damond’s home at 11:30 p.m. Sunday. On arrival in the alley, Justine Damond had approached the officers wearing her pajamas, to explain the reason for her call. At that time the officer seated in the passenger’s seat (Noor) suddenly drew his gun, shooting Damond through the driver’s door.

It was revealed that neither officer had their body cameras activated at the time of the shooting and the camera on the squad car did not capture the incident. Both officers involved in the 911 call are now on administrative leave while the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is now involved in investigating the shooting incident.

As reported by People, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges has made a statement to say she is disturbed and “heartsick” over the incident and has vowed to investigate why the two officers’ body cams were not turned on at the time of the shooting.

Readers can hear Damond's statement about the death of his fiancé in the video below.
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