Overview
- Police responded to reports of a violent disturbance at a Lawson Street unit in Fairfield and, after officers found blood at the doorway, made contact with a 27-year-old man who allegedly verbally challenged them before charging at a young female constable on a narrow balcony on Thursday.
- The constable discharged her firearm multiple times, striking the man twice in the torso and once in the arm, and he continued forward, knocked the constable to the ground, and was then restrained by two other officers.
- Paramedics treated the man at the scene and he was taken to hospital under a green light corridor for emergency surgery; he remains in critical condition.
- Investigators have reviewed body-worn camera footage and CCTV that show the man interacting with two other males and climbing over a balcony minutes before police arrived, and the Bankstown critical incident team is leading a probe that will be independently reviewed by the LECC and Professional Standards.
- Police say there is no information the man was armed and detectives are working with his family to understand his complex background while the shooting and officers' tactical choices, including why a firearm was used rather than other options, are examined.