Woolworths Matraville: man found with gunshot wound to leg

Police shot an Aboriginal man in the hip after he allegedly confronted them with a knife at an eastern suburbs supermarket. Stunned onlookers have now described the chaotic scenes that unfolded.

Police attempted to arrest a 26-year-old man inside a nearby carpark, when he allegedly produced a knife and confronted them, before police discharged their taser and firearm. Picture: Bianca Healey

A man has been rushed to hospital after he was shot by police attempting to arrest him at an eastern suburbs shopping centre.

Just before 4.30pm on Wednesday, officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command were called to Bunnerong Rd, Matraville following reports a man armed with a knife was assaulting two women.

Officers attempted to arrest the 27-year-old Aboriginal man inside a nearby carpark, when he allegedly produced a knife and confronted them, before police discharged their taser and firearm.

At a press conference, Central Metropolitan Region A/Asst Commissioner Martin Fileman said the 27-year-old man was treated by police at the scene for a gunshot wound to the hip.

Mr Fileman said the 27-year-old was a First Nations man who was known to police.

“I just want to say the NSW Police’s thoughts do go out to the family of the man who was shot and the families of the police involved in the incident,” A/Asst Commissioner Fileman said.
“Police don’t want to go out during the day and be involved in an incident like this.”

Mr Fileman said the incident allegedly started in a premises “close by to the shopping centre.” He also confirmed the incident was independently witnessed by another person who alerted police to where the male was heading to.

“It’s an extremely dangerous and extremely serious situation where police don’t know what’s going to happen with these incidents,” A/Asst Commissioner Fileman said.

“As we saw today it can turn on a dime.”

Mr Fileman said he could not confirm whether charges had been laid against the man but said the critical incident team would make that determination.

The man was treated at the scene for a gunshot wound before he was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a stable condition.

A St Vincent’s Hospital spokeswoman confirmed the man remained in a stable condition but would be going into surgery for a gunshot wound.

A critical incident team comprised of officers from Inner West Police Area Command will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the discharge of a police firearm.

That investigation will be subject to independent review.

Natalia Hunt and her son Jason Hunt (left) saw a man shortly after he was shot by police in a carpark at Peninsula Village shopping centre. Picture: Bianca Healey

Residents Natalia Hunt and her son Jason were stunned to see the injured man in the carpark as they drove into the building, where they live in the apartments above.

Jason saw the man’s body before police had closed the carpark – just metres away from his mother’s vehicle.

“We turned left, and there was the man,” Ms Hunt said.

“My son saw the man lying down on the floor and there were medical vans there.”

A 25-year-old Woolworths employee who saw the incident unfold told the Southern Courier a witness to the earlier alleged assault saw the man who was shot at the supermarket, then called police.

“What I saw was the guy because he was lingering around the store, a man called the police and started describing him to police and then I was like, ‘f**k I can see the guy’,” the store employee said.

“He was carrying a bottle of alcohol with him, and he saw the police and he just started running down to the carpark.”

The young woman said the witness told her the man shot by police, who is understood to live near the alleged assault victims, had allegedly attacked the women shortly before arriving at the Woolworths.

She did not see any visible wounds on the man at the time.

“Apparently he bashed two women...apparently he bashed two women there and then the neighbour, the customer that reported him was (also) a neighbour,” she said.

“He saw the guy beat them up. He was like, kicking them on the ground,” she relayed.

The young woman said she was “a bit stressed out” about the shocking events.

“It all happened within seconds,” she said.

“It’s just so crazy to think he was at our store.”

Matraville residents Christiano and Michelly.

Matraville residents Christiano and Michelly said they had experienced another scare recently when a man escaped from the nearby Long Bay Jail.

“Everyone was trying to find the person running around,” Christiano said.

But Michelly described the neighbourhood as “safe”, adding it was a surprise to hear the details of the shocking chase that unfolded at the shopping centre where they do their weekly shopping.

Nicolas Gonzales lives at the Peninsula Village apartments.

Nicolas Gonzales, who lives at the apartment complex above Woolworths Matraville, said he had not heard about what has occurred in the underground car park below his home until he came home and saw the police cars.

“That is shocking. I went to the beach after work and when I came home I saw the police cars,” Mr Gonzales said

“I asked them why I could not park [in the underground car park] and they said there’s some sort of shooting. I never expected that to happen here, to be honest.

“We’ve never had anything here. For a moment I feel unsafe and hopefully it’s just a one-off that doesn’t repeat.”