“Members of the W.A. Muslim community who were concerned by his behaviour contacted police prior to the incident, and I thank them for their help,” he said.
“Our police responded within minutes - they encountered a very confronting situation, but their rapid and professional response kept our community safe.”
Western Australia police commissioner Col Blanch has watched body-camera footage of the incident and says officers were confronted by a male armed with a large kitchen knife.
The teen rushed at an officer holding a Taser, prompting two officers to deploy their Tasers, but that action did not have the “desired effect”, he said.
The teen then moved towards a third officer, who fired a single shot. The teen was rushed to hospital, where he died.
Blanch described the teen as a Caucasian male who was known to police and had complex mental health issues.
When officers arrived at the scene, they were unaware another male had been stabbed in the back in the carpark, who is now in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
