Police in Minnesota were startled by a loud sound prior to fatally shooting an unarmed Australian woman who had called them to report a possible assault, US investigators have revealed.
The state agency investigating he killing of Justine Damond, also known by her maiden name Justine Ruszczyk, interviewed one of the two officers who responded to her emergency call on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
It was the first time since the incident that authorities offered more information about the circumstances, as community leaders and Ms Damond's family complained they had few details over a killing that reverberated in her native Australia.
Ms Damond had called Minneapolis police on Saturday around 11.30pm local time to report a possible assault occurring near her home.
Two officers responded with their police car's emergency lights off.
Officer Matthew Harrity told investigators yesterday that he had been "startled by a loud sound" near the squad car just before Ms Damond approached, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said in a statement.
His partner, Officer Mohamed Noor, was in the passenger seat.
"Mr Harrity indicated that Officer Noor discharged his weapon, striking Ms Ruszczyk through the open driver's side window," the agency said.
The BCA did not identify the sound, but an unidentified officer recorded on a police radio conversation published by the website Minnesota PoliceClips, speculated it may have been fireworks that sounded like gun shots.
After the shooting, the officers provided medical aid until paramedics arrived, but Ms Damond died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, authorities said.
The officers' body-worn cameras were not on during the incident, and investigators appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis officials pressed for patience, saying the state investigation took precedence and city authorities therefore had little information of their own to share.
"We don't have all the answers," Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said at a news conference last night.
"But, the information the BCA shared this evening gets us closer to having answers, closer to seeing justice done," she said.
Ms Damond, a 40-year-old meditation instructor and life coach, was an Australian national who had moved to the US to marry her fiancé Don Damond
On Monday, he criticised a lack of information from investigators.
Her death reverberated around the world, from a makeshift memorial at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community centre where Ms Damond worked to her native Australia.
Hundreds of family and friends gathered for an emotional vigil at Sydney's Freshwater beach at daybreak today, standing in silence and holding candles before casting pink flowers into the water.
In an interview with Australia's Channel Nine, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull expressed shock.
"It is inexplicable," he said. "We are demanding answers on behalf of her family. And our hearts go out to her family, and all of her friends and loved ones."
A day earlier, Ms Damond's father John Ruszczyk addressed Australian media at a news conference, calling for justice.
