Dozens carried candles in the early morning light on Freshwater beach, with each mourner tossing a single pink blossom into the Pacific Ocean in memory of the Australian woman who was shot dead by Minneapolis Police this week.
The silent vigil for the 40-year-old, remembered as being a “bright, intelligent and infectious woman,” began just before sunrise this morning.
The family, led by Justine’s father John Ruszczyk, said in a statement: “We’re here to come together as a community around our beautiful Justine to honour her life, share out love and mourn her death.”
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is joining those demanding answers in the fatal shooting. In an interview on the Today Show, the Prime Minister called the death “a shocking killing” before adding that something “clearly went tragically wrong”.
Justine was shot by a police officer last weekend after called 911 to report what she believed was an active sexual assault. The shooting itself is being investigated by state authorities, who have yet to give a narrative of what happened.
