Inspiring video shows Aussie shooting victim tell of overcoming her 'darkest time'
An inspiring video has emerged in which the Australian woman who was shot dead by a US police officer speaks about overcoming her darkest moments to become a spiritual healer.
Justine Ruszczyk Damond's family and friends have spoken of what a "special person" she was as they remain in the dark as to why Minneapolis police officer Mohammed Noor shot her in the stomach after she called 911 to report an assault.
The 40-year-old Australian, who has been described as a passionate person who always wanted to help people, died from a gunshot to the abdomen after Noor allegedly fired at her across his partner Officer Matthew Harrity, who was talking to her at the time.
In the video, which was posted on YouTube, the yoga teacher and life coach spoke about her life in Sydney during which she watched her mother spiral into alcoholism and severe depression before dying of cancer.
"I saw that my mum was really at the mercy of her mind and her emotions and she couldn’t get out. She was really being ruled by her addictions,” Ms Damond says.
"I was witnessing what was a potential future for myself … and that terrified me.”
She said that after her mother's death when she was 22, she went travelling and developed her own addictions and coping mechanisms.
In the video, which is almost an hour long and captures one of her life coaching sessions, Ms Ruszczyk Damond says that this period was "one of the darkerts points in my life".
Ms Ruszczyk Damond then described how she had an "out-of-body experience" during which she watched her life replay before her eyes and decided that she needed to do something to take her power back.
This realisation led to her life-long commitment to using her spiritual beliefs to help others, she said.
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She said that at that time she had started to do yoga and to meditate and this was "tethering her to the potential to stay in her body and begin to affect some kind of change within herself".
It has emerged that authorities may investigate whether nearby fireworks startled a US police officer that shot dead an Australian bride-to-be who was due to get married to her partner Don Damond in a month.
The reference to fireworks is heard during the police radio conversations between Officer Noor, his partner Officer Matthew Harrity, the police dispatcher co-ordinating the emergency call and other officers rushing to scene.
Officers Noor and Harrity, both new to the police force, had their body cameras switched off during the incident.
The possible link comes as Officer Harrity admitted he was "stunned" when his partner leaned removed his weapon and shot Ms Ruszczyk Damond.
Newsbreak - July 19
