Police officers who shot a man dead during an alleged armed robbery in Sydney's south west last night were not armed with Tasers or batons.
Radio station 2UE reported that police who went to the High Flyer Hotel in Condell Park about 8.40pm were carrying firearms but no other, less lethal, weapons, such as Taser stun guns, capsicum spray or batons.
The officers were in the area investigating a number of armed robberies in Condell Park and Bankstown when they were told something was happening at the hotel, which is near Bankstown Airport.
"They then attended the hotel and at the time a number of offenders were in the process of committing a robbery," Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Geoff Beresford said.
Inside the hotel officers were confronted by men with machetes, who were believed to be threatening the bar staff.
Officers fired five shots at the men, fatally wounding one and injuring another, 2UE reported.
A third man is believed to have escaped in a car, reportedly a black Toyota Yaris.
A witness said the police were in plain clothes.
"All of a sudden there was yelling and screaming going on, and all the women that were sitting at the table ... [were] all upset and said, 'The place is being robbed, the place is being robbed'.
"The next minute the doors burst open and I saw the policeman come in with his gun drawn and he was calling out 'Everybody down', screaming out ... [we heard] three or four gunshots and everything just went quiet. It was all over."
A second witness, who was visibly shaken, said there were "quite a few people" in the pub and they "scattered" when the men came into the hotel.
He said the men's faces were covered with balaclavas and they had machetes.
Police established a crime scene and were speaking with a number of witnesses. After the shooting many of the pub's patrons milled around the car park.
Ambulance officers said they had treated nine people at the scene and took three to Liverpool Hospital. One was the shot man, one was suffering trauma, and the third was taken for an undisclosed reason.
- with Ellie Harvey
Tiffany Watson’s Thought
It is in my belief that when someone breaks into a place or walks into somewhere and try’s to hold it up then that person has put their own life at risk. The only thing that I hope is that the innocent people who were in the pub are all ok. As far as the people who were shot whilst carrying out this robbery tough. You don’t deserve to have any sympathy.
People need to realise the consequences of what they are doing and if that is death then these scum bags will think twice before they do something like this, one can hope. I don’t care if they were armed or not. Go and get a job like everyone else.
Most people work hard for their money and what they own, so grow some ethics and morals. People need to earn the right to be a part of our society. It’s one less person that we as tax payers have to pay for when he goes to prison.
And as my husband says the police officer who shot dead the robber should have a medal and the one that was shot and not killed to that police officer one slap to the back of the head, you didn't get him right.
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