Australia demands answers on Minneapolis police shooting

Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull called the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer over the weekend "shocking" and "inexplicable" and said his diplomats were seeking answers from US authorities.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Tuesday confirmed details of the shooting of Sydney native Justine Damond that have been reported in media accounts and also confirmed the identities of the two police officers involved in the incident.

Ms Damond died of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, fired through an open window of the patrol car, after two police officers responded to a call she made of a possible assault in her neighborhood, the agency said.

Mr Turnbull said in a television interview that he and the Australian consul-general in Chicago were seeking answers.

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“How can a woman out in the street in her pajamas seeking assistance be shot like that?” the prime minister said in the interview with Australia’s Nine Network. “It is a shocking killing, and yes, we are demanding answers on behalf of her family.”

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which reviews shootings involving Minneapolis police, was seeking civilian video of the incident.

The incident unfolded as officers Mohamed Noor and Matthew Harrity were driving through an alley near where the shooting occurred, searching for a suspect, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said.

At one point, Mr Harrity told investigators, he was startled by a loud sound near the patrol car. Immediately afterward, Ms Damond approached the driver’s side of the squad car and Mr Noor, who was in the passenger seat, fired his weapon through the open driver’s-side window, striking Ms Damond, the agency said.

The agency said Mr Noor, who has been with the police department for 21 months, and Mr Harrity, a one-year veteran, had been placed on administrative leave.

State investigators said agents interviewed Mr Harrity on Tuesday. They said Mr Noor had declined to be interviewed, adding that Mr Noor’s attorney did not provide information on when or if the officer would be available for questioning.

Mr Noor's lawyer, Tom Plunkett, did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement released earlier on Tuesday, Mr Plunkett said Mr Noor extended his condolences to Ms Damond’s family.

Ms Damond’s family joined with friends and others in a silent dawn vigil on Sydney’s Freshwate