A Navajo woman who was shot dead by a police officer in Arizona, sparking protests, was carrying medical scissors as she approached him, body camera footage has shown.

The shooting of Loreal Tsingine, 27, in March, led tribal officials to urge the US Justice Department to investigate the treatment of Native Americans who live in towns that border the reservation.

Footage of the 30-second encounter in Winslow however has been made public after a ruling that officer Austin Shipley was justified in shooting her because he feared his life, and that of a colleague, were threatened.

It appears to show Tsingine resisting arrest and being thrown to the ground, where her belongings spill out of her purse, including a prescription for Aripiprazole, an anti-psychotic medication.

After she is thrown to the ground, she gets back up and approaches the officer with medical scissors. It is at this point that he shoots her, with his partner scrambling out of the way.

The audio then kicks in, where he can heard breathing heavily, tell his partner: 'She came at me with those scissors'. He then appears to wretch.

The footage showed Tsingine approach Shipley armed with a pair of medical scissors. Although there is no sound, investigators accepted that she ignored warnings

'She came at me with those scissors': Austin Shipley shot Tsingine five times after she appeared to ignore his warnings; the footage doesn't show the shots, it comes back up with Shipley breathing heavily and wretching

Shortly before the shooting, Officer Shipley attempts to cuff Tsingine (left) but she either falls or is thrown to the ground, where pills, including an anti-psychotic drug, spill out of her purse (right)

Tsingine's family has filed a lawsuit claiming that Shipley should not have been employed as a police officer. Her death has sparked protests in Arizona

Loreal Tsingine with daughter Tiffany; Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye has called for an independent investigation into the shooting death of the 27-year-old

The police officer was responding to a shoplifting call when he shot Tsingine on a sidewalk close to the convenience call where the alleged theft had happened.

Shipley is seen on the video trying to restrain Tsingine, and she falls to the ground.

When she gets up, the video shows her walking quickly back toward Shipley with the pair of scissors in her left hand, pointed down.

She seems to yell at Shipley as he raises his gun and fires five times.

It is not known what was said between the two during the confrontation, as the video has no audio, City attorney Ellen Van Riper said.

Officer Austin Shipley is currently on paid administrative leave while the Mesa Police Department conducts an internal affairs investigation

Maricopa County prosecutor Bill Montgomery announced on Friday that his office found no evidence of criminal conduct by Shipley in Tsingine's death.

An investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety concluded that Shipley had told Tsingine to stop resisting, get on the ground and drop the scissors, but she refused to do so.

This narrative was backed up by witnesses, the department said.

The decision prompted a small protest outside the prosecutor's office earlier this week, with about 20 people chanting 'Justice for Loreal' and 'Shame on Bill Montgomery'. Another demonstration is expected on Friday.

The shooting comes amid heightened tension around the country with law enforcement over police shootings.

A full investigation report is expected to be released next week by officials in Winslow. The town borders the Navajo Nation about an hour east of Flagstaff and has a large Native American population.

Protesters outside Maricopa County Attourney Bill Montgomery's office on Monday after it was announced that Shipley would not face charges over the fatal shooting

Relatives of Loreal Tsingine have filed a $10.5million notice of claim against the city of Winslow, arguing that Shipley should not have been hired

Tsingine's eight-year-old daughter Tiffany is hugged by grandfather Edward Barnell at her mother's funeral in Winslow, Arizona

Documents previously released by Winslow officials show that two officers who trained Shipley had serious concerns about his work and that one of them recommended he should not serve the city as an officer.

Tsingine had a lengthy arrest record, including an incident last year when she allegedly tried to grab an officer's gun as he tried to arrest her.

Her relatives have filed a $10.5 million notice of claim against the city, saying Shipley violated Tsingine's civil rights and that Winslow was negligent in 'hiring, training, retaining, controlling and supervising' Shipley.

'Our position remains that even though (Shipley) may not be held criminally liable, it was careless for the city of Winslow to give him a gun and a badge,' said the Tsingine family's Phoenix-based attorney, Robert Pastor.

The wrongful-death claim filed this month is a precursor to a lawsuit and seeks $2 million for Tsingine's husband and $8.5 million for her 8-year-old daughter.