- Officer allegedly stabbed twice in car
- 34-year-old alleged attacker shot dead
- READ MORE: Officer allegedly beats 70-year-old woman
Police say an officer was attacked with a knife seconds before a fatal shooting in Sydney’s south-west last night, “coming very close to something that could have been fatal”.
The 33-year-old senior constable was behind the wheel of a police car in Middleton Grange when he was allegedly attacked twice in the shoulder by a man with a knife.
Officers exited the vehicle before verbally confronting and tasering 34-year-old Marco Bindi-Fortoni. ‘Seconds’ later, the senior officer fired two rounds.
Neighbours said they heard Mr Bindi-Fortoni’s mother “crying” as she sat in the gutter outside her home after her son was shot, sources said. The Daily Telegraph.
“I could hear her, she was hysterical… she was saying, ‘They killed my boy, they killed my boy,’” a neighbor said.
New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Brett McFadden said the “situation escalated very quickly” and there was a “real threat” to the police officer.
“We are very close to something that could have been fatal or certainly life-threatening, given the injuries that he could have sustained. The damage to his vest around his right shoulder and right collarbone is so extensive that he has impacted another part of his body and has sustained serious injuries,” he said.
Police performed CPR on the 34-year-old man until emergency services arrived to take over, but he could not be revived.
A 33-year-old police sergeant was behind the wheel of a police car when he was allegedly attacked twice in the shoulder by a 34-year-old man armed with a knife
Mr McFadden supported the actions of the “experienced and capable” police at the scene, who he said had “stopped the threat”.
“The tactical options available to police became very limited once the Taser became ineffective,” he said.
‘There was a very real threat to the life and well-being of the police officer and another technical option was used: the firearm was used.’
Mr McFadden said the alleged attacker, who has not yet been identified, was known to police but he would not confirm whether he had a mental health background.
He added that the man’s family had been contacted and that a “comprehensive and comprehensive” investigation into the shooting would take place.
Marco Bindi-Fortoni, 34, died just yards from his Middleton Grange home on Saturday night. His parents released a photo of their son sleeping with his dog
NSW Police on scene on Saturday night after man attacked officer
At around 11pm on Saturday evening, emergency services were called to Bird Walton Ave near Middleton Grange after reports of a man with a knife.
In an earlier statement, police said they were confronted by a 34-year-old man who allegedly threatened officers with a knife.
According to police, initial evidence indicated that the man then struck a 33-year-old officer with the knife. Fortunately, the officer was protected by his vest.
Officers then used a taser on the man and when that ‘proved ineffective’, the man was shot by police.
Police performed CPR until NSW Ambulance arrived and took over, but he could not be revived.
A serious incident has now been declared and the State Crime Command’s homicide squad is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The investigation will be subject to an independent inquiry, which said the officer was allegedly assaulted during the confrontation and was not “physically injured.”