Damond’s father says doubt cast after county attorney caught on tape saying investigators ‘haven’t done their job’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The family of Justine Damond Ruszczyk say they’re “deeply concerned” that US officials may have botched an investigation into the Australian woman’s fatal shooting by a police officer in Minnesota.

John Ruszczyk has issued an emotional plea for prosecutors in the US to “continue to pursue a rigorous investigation and examination” of the events that led to his daughter’s death in July.

Speaking in Sydney on Thursday, Ruszyczyk said he was “deeply concerned about the possibility that the initial investigation was not done properly and with greatest integrity and sense of completeness”.

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It comes after the Hennepin county attorney, Mike Freeman, was caught on tape telling a group of activists he didn’t have enough evidence yet to charge the Minneapolis police officer who killed Damond Ruszyzyk last July, saying investigators “haven’t done their job”.

In the video, released last week, Freeman said he did not have enough evidence yet to decide whether to charge the officer, Mohamed Noor, who has declined to speak with investigators.

“I’ve got to have the evidence,” Freeman was filmed saying. “And I don’t have it yet. And let me just say, it’s not my fault.

“So if it isn’t my fault, who didn’t do their jobs? Investigators. And they don’t work for me. And they haven’t done their job.”

Surrounded by family, Ruszczyk said that after his daughter’s death US officials from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had “looked me in the eye” and said “they were committed to getting to the truth of the event”.

“They assured us that they would give the county attorney all the necessary information to make a reasoned decision on whether or not to charge Justine’s shooter with a crime,” he said.



He said that in the wake of Freeman’s comments, he and his family were “apprehensive that perhaps the BCA has not fulfilled its promise”.

Freeman later apologised for discussing the investigation in public, but Ruszczyk pointed out that the prosecutor had not said his comments were “unfounded, inaccurate or in any way untrue”.

He also said they had “cast doubt on the description of how Justine’s death occurred as it was initially put out by the BCA and the attorney for the police officer driving the squad car”.



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Damond Ruszczyk was killed outside of her home in Minneapolis on 15 July after calling police to report what she suspected may have been a sexual assault occurring in a laneway behind her house.

When police arrived she approached them – unarmed and wearing pyjamas – and was fatally shot by Noor.

Her death sparked protests in the wealthy suburb where she lived and led to the resignation of the police chief Janee Harteau.

An emotional Ruszczyk called on US officials to continue investigating how his daughter was killed.

“We implore Mr Freeman and the prosecutor’s office to continue to pursue a rigorous investigation and examination of evidence of the events leading up to Justine’s death,” he said.

“We expect them to fill in any gaps in the BCA’s work honestly and fairly, but completely. We will wait patiently while this occurs, but insist that this investigation be done, and done right.”