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A machete-wielding man shot dead by NSW Police in Sydney’s west had retrieved the weapon from his car after a fight erupted between two groups of women, allegedly including his wife.
Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood said the melee broke out at Westfield Mount Druitt on Saturday afternoon when two groups of women – six women in their mid-20s in total – crossed paths in the shopping centre parking lot.
“It was just a sheer fluke that they had met,” Wood said on Sunday.
Police said they did not know why the brawl erupted. None of the women had any gang affiliation or any other criminal history.
Wood said the fight was contained to the car park, which was locked down, and did not spill into the centre.
It was this melee, alleging involving the wife of the deceased man, that was the cause of the shooting, police allege.
Wood said after an initial melee had dispersed, the 29-year-old man had returned to his vehicle nearby and “returned with what I would say was a large machete”.
Wood said the weapon was “at least 50 centimetres in length”.
“If anyone had seen it, you’d be alarmed by it … it was a very large machete,” he said.
Police asked the man to drop the machete as he began to walk towards a group of females.
Police responding to an incident at Westfield Mount Druitt.Credit: Nine
“The male had refused to, and continued to walk towards the women involved in the melee, and at that stage, the police officer fired his service revolver,” Wood said.
After reviewing the body camera footage of the incident, Wood commended the two officers on the scene for their bravery.
“The police officers got in the middle between the deceased person who was carrying a large machete, and these females. Their actions were brave, and I want to put that on the record,” he said.
Wood said when he spoke to the officers last night, the “enormity of what had happened” had started to sink in.
“We will put our arms around those police, as we do. They are good people, they are good police officers. They didn’t come to work yesterday knowing they had to shoot someone.”
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Wood did not answer questions by Nine News about whether the state should introduce a ban on machetes similar to the one in Victoria.
But he said knife crime was a huge part of policing.
“There is always a concern when there is a weapon in the community,” he said.
The man, who was a father of two, died on the scene after attempts by paramedics to save his life.
A critical incident team from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad will lead the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The investigation will be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command and monitored by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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