Los Angeles: Chilling new audio has emerged of the moments around the fatal US police shooting of Australian spiritual healer and meditation coach Justine Damond in a Minneapolis alley.
The officers are heard communicating with their dispatcher over the police radio, including calling for back-up and their attempts to perform CPR on Ms Damond.
"Shots fired ... we have one down," one of the officers says.
Ms Damond's death in the alley outside her Minneapolis home just before midnight on Saturday has devastated and outraged family, friends and left the Minneapolis community upset about the latest police shooting in their city.
The US police officer who shot her dead has been named as Officer Mohammed Noor, who joined the Minneapolis Police Department a little over two years ago.
He was reportedly seated on the passenger seat of his vehicle when he fired multiple shots at Sydney-raised Ms Damond.
The police audio was posted on the Minnesota Police Clips website. It begins with the description of a "female screaming behind the building", believed to be what Ms Damond told the dispatcher in her initial 911 call.
"We take this seriously with great compassion for all persons who are being touched by this," Mr Noor's attorney, Tom Plunkett, told Minneapolis TV station WCCO.
Mr Plunkett confirmed his client fired at the 40-year-old Australian bride-to-be, according to WCCO.
Ms Damond called police just before midnight on Saturday after hearing a possible assault taking place in an alley behind her Minneapolis home. She was in her pyjamas when she approached the police vehicle.
Mr Noor was in the passenger seat and fired multiple times across his partner at Ms Damond, another Minneapolis TV station, KSTP, reported.
A May 2016 newsletter from the City of Minneapolis said he joined the force in 2015 and had only recently completed his field training. He was the first Somali-American officer at Minneapolis' 5th Precinct, the newsletter said. He has a degree in economics and business administration, and had previously worked in property management.
A mobile phone was reportedly found near Ms Damond's body. State investigators confirmed on Monday that no weapon was found at the scene.
The shooting has shattered Ms Damond's family and friends in Australia and the US. It has also outraged residents of Minneapolis and adjoining St Paul who are still reeling from other high-profile police shootings.
Ms Damond's death from a police gun has also generated widespread media coverage across the US.
Mr Noor and his partner's body cameras were not turned on and their police car dashboard camera did not capture the incident.
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges told reporters she has "a lot of questions why the body cameras were not on".
"I know many of you are frustrated at the pace of information being released around Saturday night's shooting," Mayor Hodges wrote in a Monday Facebook posting.
"I am too."
Ms Damond's death is being investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, not the Minneapolis Police Department.
Mr Noor and his partner are on paid administrative leave.
Ms Damond, formerly Justine Ruszczyk who took her American fiance Don Damond's surname before next month's planned wedding, moved to the US in 2015 and worked as a spiritual mentor in the Minneapolis area.
Her violent death was a shock to relatives, friends and colleagues who described her as a peaceful, calm and a positive force.
Ms Damond's soon-to-be stepson, Zach Damond, is desperate for answers.
"My mum is dead because a police officer shot her for reasons I don't know," the 22-year-old said.
Her family in Sydney has called for privacy.
"This is a very difficult time for our family. We are trying to come to terms with this tragedy and to understand why this has happened," they said in a statement.
The incident has shone new light on police shootings in the US.
The Washington Post reported Ms Damond is one of at least 524 people fatally shot by police in the US this year and and the fifth in Minnesota
The Minneapolis-St Paul area is still reeling from the acquittal last month of a police officer who shot dead a man, Philando Castile, during a traffic stop while Castile's girlfriend live streamed the horrifying incident.
Violent protests also flared after two officers fatally shot 24-year-old Jamar Clark in 2015 and were not charged.
AAP
