by Mick the Ram

A man has been shot dead after he reportedly entered a sprawling Australian shopping Mall and indiscriminately stabbed a number of people, killing at least 4 people and injuring several others, including a 9-month old child.

Police declared a critical incident which occurred around 3.20pm local time, in the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, in Sydney.

Early reports suggest that the man entered the centre carrying a large knife and attacked innocent shoppers for no reason.

In a hastily arranged press conference, it was confirmed that a senior police officer approached the attacker and in a confrontation shot the assailant dead.

Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said that the suspect entered the centre briefly, then after leaving, he returned around 10 minutes later and began moving through the complex armed with the deadly weapon.

Mr Cooke said: “The female officer confronted the offender who had moved by this stage to level 5. As she continued to walk quickly behind him to catch up with him, he turned, faced her, raised a knife. She discharged a firearm, and that person is now deceased.”

He also clarified that the attacker “acted alone” and therefore he was content that there was “no continuing threat” to the public.

Some early video footage seems to show a male wearing shorts wandering around the Mall carrying a knife that has obvious signs of blood on it. Several shoppers are seen to use bollards in an attempt to stop his deadly attacks.

In a slightly later video it is also possible to spot emergency responders administering CPR to one victim.

A witness visiting from the New South Wales Central Coast said he heard a commotion outside the store he was shopping in and when he turned to check it out he saw a woman and her baby being attacked.

“She was getting stabbed; everyone was in shock and I didn’t know what to do,” he said.

He saw the woman run into the nearby Tommy Hilfiger store and once inside, staff quickly locked the doors.

He added that he could see other shoppers using clothing and things to try and stop he the bleeding from her wound. He did say that from what he could make out the baby seemed to only have a minor wound but he couldn’t really tell.

A spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance confirmed that a nine-month-old baby was “transported to Sydney Children’s Hospital with a stab wound,” and added that the infant was among seven others to be taken to hospital facilities, but could not give any further details on their conditions.

The centre is now locked down. No information has been released on the attacker.