Residents near Dow Street told The Age they were drawn out of their homes when they heard gunshots, before police and ambulances descended on the street from every direction.
An image from police show the officer lying on the ground after he had been hit by the SUV and shot the car’s occupants. Police have blurred the faces of the officers.Credit: Victoria Police
Alan Nightingale, who has lived in the street for 15 years, said it was like “all hell broke loose” after the sound of gunshots ricocheted into the street.
“It’s disconcerting … and pretty crazy for downtown Dow Street,” he said on Sunday morning.
“The officer was yelling out: ‘Get the car off me, get the car off me’.
“We do see drug deals getting done in the backstreets, and there’s been some assaults. But gunshots are a whole other level altogether.
“We do feel a bit less secure than we did two to three years ago.”
Video from inside Park Towers, seen by The Age, appears to show a man yelling while carrying a long knife and riding a scooter through the halls of the public-housing towers at about 1.50pm on Saturday.
The corner of Church and Dow streets where a police officer was pinned against a wall by an SUV. Credit: Chris Hopkins
Karlos, who lives in the towers, said he was frightened and had an argument with the man through his flyscreen door before calling the police.
“That’s my regret – not having followed it up harder with the police – because maybe it would have been enough to warrant them coming here and speaking to him instead,” he said.
“I phone security here all the time, and nothing happens.”
Karlos said the 39-year-old man and the 34-year-old woman were well known throughout Park Towers. He said residents were in a state of shock after the incident.
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the injured police officer was lucky not to receive more serious injuries while risking his life for the safety of the public.
“This is what our [police] members are dealing with on a regular occasion… confronted by people in vehicles like this. It can be not only life-altering, but it can end your life,” he said.
“There’s no magic wand for situations like this. When a car’s coming at you, there’s not a lot you can do it, and it is literally a case of do or die.
“We see this violence confronting our members quite regularly – it has been a trend that has increased significantly over the last seven or eight years.”
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt speaks on Sunday. Credit: Chris Hopkins
Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident, with oversight from Professional Standards Command, which is standard procedure after a fatal police shooting.
Get alerts on significant breaking news as happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.
Read the full article here
