On Tuesday, John Ruszczyk, the father of Justine Ruszczyk who was slain Saturday night in her pajamas, allegedly by the first Somali police officer in Minneapolis, issued a statement calling for the truth about the incident to come to light and justice to be administered.
Ruszczyk stated:
We thought yesterday was our worst nightmare, but we awoke to the ugly truth, and it hurt even more. Justine, our daughter, was so special to us, and to so many others. We went down to the beach this morning, and saw the blackness change to light. Justine was a beacon to all of us . We only ask that the light of justice shine down on the circumstance of her death.
Ruszczyk’s fiancé, Don Damond, stated tearfully, “The death of Justine is a loss to everyone who knew her. She touched so many people with her loving and generous heart. She was a teacher to so many in living a life of openness and kindness.”
No weapon was found at the scene where Ruszczyk was allegedly shot by police officer Mohamed Noor; there was no evidence that Ruszczyk, whom Damond said had called 911 to report “what she believed was an active sexual assault occurring nearby,” carried any kind of a firearm when she came out in her pajamas to speak to the two officers in the patrol car. Noor reportedly shot her from the passenger side of the car, firing past his partner, who was speaking with her.
