By James Lemon
Police have shot a man in the leg in Matraville in Sydney’s east after reports he was assaulting two women and armed with a knife.
Officers from Eastern Beaches command were called to Bunnerong Road at about 4.30pm and chased the 27-year-old man to a nearby underground car park.
The man allegedly pulled out a knife and “challenged” the two police officers, who fired a Taser and a firearm at the same time.
The man, who was known to police, was treated at the scene for a gunshot wound to the hip before being taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a stable condition.
A critical incident was declared and a team from Inner West command arrived at the scene on Wednesday evening to investigate the shooting.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Martin Fileman, the Central Metropolitan Region Commander, shared his concerns for the man’s family and the officers involved in the incident.
“It’s extremely terrifying when incidents like this occur for everyone involved,” he said. “It’s an extremely dangerous and serious situation where police don’t know what’s going to happen.
“As we saw today, it can turn on a dime – it can change very quickly.
“Police are very well trained to deal with circumstances like this, and it’s the last thing they want to deal with.”
clarification
This article’s headline originally read “Police shoot armed man outside Matraville supermarket” and was based on initial reports. Police first reported the man was 26 years old.