Two people have died after a shooting outside New South Wales police force headquarters at Charles Street in Parramatta.
Police confirmed on Friday evening that they have launched an investigation into the incident.
“The incident occurred outside the NSW police headquarters building on Charles Street about 4.30pm today … after a number of shots were fired,” a police statement said.
“It appears an officer has discharged his weapon, responding to a report that a person had been shot,” the statement continued. “Two people have died at the scene. A crime scene has been established. A critical incident team will now investigate all circumstances surrounding the incident. Police are yet to establish the identity of the deceased.”
Real estate agent Edwin Almeida said he saw a man with a gun screaming and pacing up and down outside the building, before seeing the man lying on the ground with a police officer pointing a gun at him.
“We looked out the window, saw security guards and what appeared to be a plain clothes police officer with gun drawn pointing at the person that was now lying on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood,” he told AAP.
Video from helicopter cameras showed what appeared to be two bodies under sheets on the street.
#BREAKING A photo of the police operation at #Parramatta after reports of shooting Photo by Tim Woolf pic.twitter.com/aBsDdCR2Uy
— 702 ABC Sydney (@702sydney) October 2, 2015
Emergency crews were called to the area at 4.35pm, an ambulance spokeswoman said.
At about 7pm, a small section of Charles Street between Macquarie Street and Hassall Street was cordoned off and was manned by a dozen police. Witnesses said they had seen police remove two bodies covered in white sheets.
Tony Hong and his wife Miffy live in the building opposite the police station. With the street cordoned off they were unable to return home, where thir eight-month-old baby and Miffy’s mother still were.
“We don’t know what’s happening, so we’re pretty worried. We’ve been waiting for more than an hour,” Tony said.
Miffy said her mother heard five or six shots, which were loud enough to wake the baby. Miffy said her mother went to the kitchen window about 10 or 15 minutes after the shooting and saw a man’s body, which she later saw had been covered with a white sheet.
At a childcare centre near the station, children and staff remained inside. Dennis Entriken and his wife had a three-year-old daughter inside and were waiting for her to be released.
“We don’t know whether they were inside or outside playing when it happened, or what they saw. We just know they’re safe,” he said.
