Man who attacked cop with knife shot dead by police in Middleton Grange identified

A man fatally shot by the police officer he stabbed in the shoulder of his police vest in Sydney’s south west on Saturday night has been formally identified, leaving his family devastated.

A knife-wielding man shot dead by police when their taser misfired had lunged in the window of a patrol car and stabbed an officer in the shoulder during a tragic altercation in a park in the city’s south west.

Marco Bindi-Fortoni, 34, died on Saturday night just metres from his home at Middleton Grange, when he ignored police directions to drop his knife and kept charging at police.

In frantic scenes which escalated “in a matter of seconds”, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said officers arrived at the park in Bird Walton Ave, just after 11.30pm, when a member of the public called for help saying a man was walking around wielding a knife.

When the first officers arrived on scene, assistant commissioner McFadden said the armed man lunged in the window of the police car and stabbed at a senior constable who was at the wheel.

Marco Bindi-Fortoni was shot by police after he lunged at an officer with a knife.

Officers jumped from the car and screamed at Mr Bindi-Fortoni to drop the knife, he ignored police and continued to charge at officers.

“The 34-year-old male was still armed with a knife, a taser was deployed, without success, and then the male has rushed towards the officer who had just deployed the taser, at this stage he’s in proximity to that officer, and another officer has then fired two shots in the torso of the 34-year-old male,”

Mr Bindi-Fortoni, who lived with his parents 100 metres away, was pronounced dead at the scene just before midnight.

A critical incident investigation has been launched after police shot an armed man dead near Crillio Reserve Middleton Grange. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Assistant commissioner McFadden defended the senior constable’s actions, saying he had watched the body worn video footage, and the officer had acted “within the guidelines”.

“This was a situation where a threat of violence was occurring … it’s within the scope of their responsibilities as police protecting the community and protecting themselves,” Assistant Commissioner McFadden said.

Neighbours said they heard Mr Bindi-Fortoni’s mother ‘howling’ as she sat in the gutter outside her home, in the aftermath of the fatal shooting.

“I could hear her, she was hysterical … saying ‘they killed my boy, they killed my boy’,” a neighbour said.

“She was sitting under a tree just howling … she was saying ‘they harassed him’.”

Police entered a house at Middleton Grange in relation to the incident. Picture: Thomas Lisson

A 34-year-old man died after being shot by police. Picture Thomas Lisson

Mr Bindi-Fortoni’s father Luigi spent most of Sunday morning speaking with police as they pieced together what led him to be out walking near midnight, armed with a knife.

Assistant Commissioner McFadden said the “very capable frontline officer” who was stabbed was not injured, but that his operational vest — which saved him from serious injury — had two significant knife marks in the top right corner.

“We’re talking centimetres to hitting another part of his body and causing catastrophic injuries,” he said.

Asked what he thought when he watched the vision of the fatal shooting, Assistant Commissioner McFadden continued to praise his officers who he said were “responding to a threat to the community”.

“It’s a devastating thing for the family of the 34-year-old to have to come to terms with, but I’m very proud of my police that they put themselves in harms way and met the challenge that is facing them,” he said. A critical incident team from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Originally published as Man who attacked cop with knife shot dead by police in Middleton Grange identified