The Daily Mail Australia reports that a man has been shot dead after a terrifying stabbing rampage through a shopping centre which left five people in hospital.
The crazed man – whose name hasn’t been released yet – reportedly attacked multiple people, including a mother with a toddler, before being killed at the South Hedland Square shopping centre on Friday.
He reportedly stabbed someone in a McDonald’s car park in South Hedland, in the northern Pilbara region of Western Australia, before entering the centre through a Kmart and attacking others.
Witnesses described the terrifying rampage by the attacker, who is believed to be a white FIFO worker in his 30s wearing hi-vis, before he was shot down by police.
A terrified eyewitness, who was forced to dive behind a counter with her young daughter, told Daily Mail Australia that two brave officers gave chase to the attacker.
The female officer was nearly stabbed in the neck while they unsuccessfully tried to taser him to stop the carnage, before shooting him in the chest.
‘I saw the man run past being chased by two officers,’ she said.
David Derschow said one of the victims was his girlfriend Esther Brooks, who was rushed to hospital after being stabbed in the back.
‘They were trying to stop him with their tasers, but he wasn’t stopping.
‘He then ran towards the female officer and swiped towards her neck.
‘t was at that point I took my daughter behind the counter and then heard the gun shot. They immediately asked for medical support.
‘Once I knew it was safe, I was helped to get out the back door to shield my daughter from it.
‘I can not thank the police officers enough and just hope the others hurt will be OK.
‘The police deserve a medal, they were heroes. If it weren’t for them, more people would have been hurt or even killed.’
Armed with a carving knife, the man was said to have swung at a women with a toddler in her trolley – stabbing her in the back, leg and hands.
The attack has left five people in South Hedland Hospital, two are in a serious but stable condition and three others are stable – with one man who was stabbed in the neck.
Police were called to the scene at around 10am on Friday morning after reports of an armed offender.
An eye witness said she was leaving the mall when she saw the man swinging at a mother with a large carving knife.
‘I saw this guy swinging a great big knife at this lady who had a toddler in the trolley,’ the told ABC.
‘Then he gave up on her and came in, because I was there, and was swinging at me. I didn’t know where to go, but I got out of the road.
‘Fortunately there were two police officers at the entrance of Kmart, they heard the lady screaming and they took off after this guy.
‘Another bloke walked in from outside and he came up to me and said he’s been stabbed, he was stabbed in the neck.’
WA Police confirmed that a man had died as a result of the incident, and there were ‘a number of people who received injuries’.
Major Crime Division and Professional Standards Division will investigate the circumstances surrounding the police shooting.
The public were advised to avoid the area.
‘The public are being asked to avoid the South Hedland Square shopping Centre on Throssell Road due to a police incident,’ they wrote on Twitter.
‘Police responded to the shopping centre just before 10am to reports of an armed offender. Officers have discharged a firearm. SJA were called to assist.’
One witness said the attacker was shot outside a Boost Juice in the shopping centre.
‘Police tried to taser the attacker but shot him when the taser didn’t work,’ a witness told The Western Australian.
‘(There were) multiple ambulances, many centre workers visibly distressed including one who I saw throwing up.’
A West Australian Country Health spokeswoman said two of the five people are stable in a ‘serious but stable condition’ and the other three were ‘injured but stable’.
