A knife-wielding woman shot dead by police outside a Hungry Jack’s outlet was acting like a “zombie” before police opened fire, a witness has said.
The 22-year-old was shot in the chest after she was seen wandering in and out of traffic brandishing a large knife in the Sydney surburb of West Hoxton about 11:45 a.m. Monday.
Witness Robert Duncan from Penrith said the young woman, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and casually sipping from a carryout cup, ignored police calls to drop her weapon,The Daily Telegraph reports.
“The woman then started moving towards them in a zombie-like fashion and the police kept their guns on her and kept moving back, she came towards them wielding and swinging a knife,” Duncan said.
“The woman came so close to one of the officers that he was going to be stabbed or had been stabbed and then I heard a pop sound and she went to the ground.
“She could not have been tackled, the way she was running and swinging the knife it would have been impossible to get an arm or leg shot on her … she just kept coming as if she was possessed.”
While police said the constable fired only one shot, other witnesses claim two were fired after the woman lunged at officers.
“We heard police talking to her, trying to get her to put her weapon down,” witness Alan Sobbi told AAP.
“Then she moved forward and then ‘bang, bang,’ two shots were fired. The police went over to help her, to revive her.”
Resident Nicole Maher heard what sounded like two gunshots and rushed to the scene.
“I know there is bad in the world but in the end, the young girl didn’t even get a chance to make up for her wrong,” she said.
A critical incident team from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad and assisted by investigators from South West Metropolitan Region are investigating.
Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli said a constable fired just one shot at the woman.
“One of the police officers resorted to using a firearm, discharging one shot, striking the female to the chest,” he said.
“This is a tragic situation and we are still in the process of contacting the family.”
~The New York Post
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