Officer shoots man armed with knife dead at Auburn police station
NSW Police’s Assistant Commissioner said he “fully supports” two officers who shot dead a knife-wielding intruder who lunged at them with a knife inside a Sydney police station.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man was shot dead by police after he threatened officers with a 10 centimetre knife at their station moments after he slasheda stranger with the weapon nearby.
Two officers raced out of Auburn Police station yesterday morning to respond to reports a cleaner had been attacked at Auburn railway station around the corner.
The officers, including one probationary constable, were confronted by the man holding the knife and “hyperventilating” atthe glass door to the police station just after midnight.
The 32-year-old Indian man who was in Australia on a student visa then launched at them with the knife in the foyer, police said.
One officer drew a service weapon and the other a taser as they backed into the station when the man kept advancing at them with the knife.
The invader was hit by two of the three shots fired by police before receiving first aid until paramedics arrived.
The police station’s front door was punctured by a bullet hole.
The man, a resident in the Auburn area, was taken to Westmead Hospital but died a short time later.
He is yet to be formally identified.
Footage of the incident captured on Snapchat showed the aftermath of the fatal shooting.
“Outside Auburn police station, three shots fired,” a man is heard saying during the short clip.
In the footage, a handful of police and paramedics surround the man, hooking him to an IV drip.
Some of the police appear distressed while one officer can be seen holding his head in his hand.
The wounded cleaner, 28, was also treated by paramedics at the station before he was taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition with a puncture wound to the hip.
Assistant police commissioner Stuart Smith said the CCTV footage of the incident was “highly concerning”.
“He (the cleaner) was just going about his duties and was the first person that was there,” Mr Smith said.
A critical team, led by officers from the Homicide Squad and made up of Counter Terrorism and the Terrorism Intelligence Unit, are investigating the incident, including the discharge of a police firearm.
“Investigators from the critical incident team led by homicide are reaching out to the Indian Consulate to confirm his identity,” Mr Smith said.
“That process is expected to be delayed.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in establishing the intent of this individual.
“I need to reassure the public, this is a lone actor event.
“I fully support these officers. It’s traumatic, it’s a significant incident in one of our police stations.”
A temporary police station was set up outside the building as forensics teams entered and exited the taped off crime scene with bags of evidence.
‘Disgusting’: Woman jailed for spitting in faces of Sydney cops
A young woman’s “disgusting” decision to spit in the faces of two northern beaches police officers, who were trying to check on her welfare, has ended with a stiff sentence.
Read more
‘Lucky to be alive’: Ex-NRL prospect’s battle with painkillers, prison
Adnan El-Zbaidieh was on the brink of playing in the NRL when a career-altering injury put him on a dark path that landed him behind bars. Now, after returning to rugby league, he has a message to share.
Read more