Crystal Brook’s Pauline Flavel feels responsible for Sean Ferris police attack, shooting

The Crystal Brook local at the centre of a confrontation that led to a deadly encounter between police and her neighbour says she feels responsible for the violence.

The woman at the centre of the confrontation that led two police officers to the home of a crazed man in a rural town says she feels responsible for the events that unfolded.

Elderly Crystal Brook resident Pauline Flavel was one of the few people who saw the best in Sean Ferris - the man who stabbed two police officers at his home before being shot dead.

She would often talk to him down the main street of the rural town and Tuesday afternoon was no different.

Ms Flavel said she spotted Mr Ferris’ dog - Buddy - tied up to a bollard, whining loudly outside the local Foodland.

As she would often do, she comforted Buddy while Sean was inside buying groceries.

“He was making such a terrible noise and I thought Sean might be inside buying lots of things, so I decided to untie him to tie him up closer to the seat so I could sit down,” she said.

Pauline Flavel, pictured with her dog Molly, was filmed in a confrontation with Sean Ferris the day before he was fatally shot by police. Picture: Brenton Edwards

But Ms Flavel said when Mr Ferris exited the shop and saw his dog had moved, he went into rage.

“I was talking to him and petting, so that he wasn’t making any noise, but when he came out he just went completely off his tree,” she said.

“He’s never done that to me before.”

A local resident captured video of Mr Ferris abusing Ms Flavel and staff at the supermarket.

“You’re the one causing me trouble, (unintelligible) try and do your job,” the man can be heard saying, before yelling, “Leave me alone”.

“I’m sick of arseholes like you whinging about my dog and causing me trouble … don’t tell me what I should do with my life.”

Ms Flavel said she felt responsibility for what happened.

Video captured Sean Ferris yelling at Pauline Flavel outside the Crystal Brook Foodland on Tuesday.

Sean Ferris was shot and killed by the police he attacked. Picture: Facebook

“I’ve known him for years, so I just blocked it out and moved on, but I went into the shop and someone was on the phone and I thought I hope she’s not calling the police,” she said.

“I feel like this is my fault.”

Ms Flavel said she never felt threatened by Sean.

“A friend of mine said afterwards that he thought Sean was going to be nasty to me, but I said he wouldn’t do anything to me,’ she said.

“It’s knocked me rotten, when I found out what had happened I just couldn’t believe it.”

Ms Flavel’s husband John said he knew it would be Sean when the police came knocking on Wednesday.

“I never had much time for Sean,” he said.

“During Covid-19, he was the only one in the district that wouldn’t wear a mask in the shop and police couldn’t even make him do it,” he said.

He said he had previously been in trouble with the police before.

“I can absolutely imagine him doing what he did on Wednesday.”

“I knew straight away it would involved Sean.”

Crystal Brook resident Tom Sawyer said he witnessed the disturbance out the front of the local Foodland and often used to see the man traversing the town with the husky.

“I was across the road and just heard the man aggressively shouting at someone out the front of the shop,” he said.

Mr Sawyer said he had heard the man had threatened someone with a knife.

“I heard that in passing today,” he said. “People would get frustrated with the dog, it would make a lot of noise but I never saw it get aggressive.”