According to police, the woman who was fatally shot by officers in a suburban Melbourne backyard was reportedly stabbing her mother before she was confronted.
Neighbours had initially reported that the younger woman was trying to set her parent on fire. The incident occurred at around 6:30 pm on Friday in Kett St., in Lower Plenty.
The incident was reported by the residents of the area, who stated that the young woman was setting her mom on fire.
When law enforcers arrived, they confronted the suspect, who was armed with a knife, and she was shot and killed by them. A second woman was also killed at the scene.
According to Scott Colson, the acting superintendent of the Victoria Police, the officer had no choice but to shoot the suspect.
He said that the police had asked the woman to drop the knife, but she continued to attack her mother, and both the mother and her daughter died at the scene. The woman was reportedly stabbing her mother in the neck and torso.
Upon reaching the scene, the officers jumped the fence after realizing that they were at a wrong address.
The woman, who was on bail for a different matter, was at the home despite having been issued an apprehended violence order against other people. Superintendent Colson, however, defended the decision to use lethal force.
He noted that law enforcers do not go to work expecting to be involved in such tragic incidents.
Nonetheless, he was still comfortable with the actions of the officers, who were faced with a dreadful situation. It is believed that other people were at home during the incident, and the call to triple zero came from the family’s neighbours.
The police stated in a statement that they were not looking for other people in connection with the incident. The homicide squad will handle the investigation, which is standard procedure when a law enforcer’s firearm is accidentally discharged.