Police Open Fire on Man with a Knife at Melbourne Shopping Centre

Police shot a man who was allegedly “armed with an edged weapon” at a shopping centre in the outer-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday morning

Authorities were called to the Lilydale Marketplace, 34 kilometres north-east of the city’s CBD, at 8:30AM, according to Victoria Police. 

A woman who was walking past the shopping centre at the time called radio station 3AW and told them she saw a man "brandishing quite a large knife" outside a chemist.

"[He] was standing there for about five minutes, obviously surrounded by police, but now he's decided to go walking through the car park," she told the radio station. "There are guns drawn [and pepper spray] and they're yelling at him to put the knife down, but he doesn't seem interested in that."

Gunshots were heard over the call just minutes later. “They’re shooting,” the woman said. “They’ve just shot.”

A spokesperson for Victoria Police later confirmed that “a police firearm was discharged and the man received an injury to the upper body,” according to The Australian.

Ambulance Victoria said paramedics were called to Lilydale at about 8:45AM, claiming in a statement that a man was "believed to be in a serious condition" and being treated for upper body injuries. He was transported to hospital in a helicopter just after 10:15AM.

Victoria Police said the incident was now under an internal investigation.