Man killed and two fighting for life in ‘random’ triple stabbing attack in western Sydney – UK Times

A man was killed and two other people were severely injured in a “random” stabbing attack at a busy shopping strip in Australia’s western Sydney on Tuesday, police said.

Police arrived at the scene in Merrylands at 10am to attend to reports that a man stabbed multiple people before fleeing the area on foot.

A man was later arrested from a nearby street and taken to the Granville Police Station, police said.

A total of three people were attacked, with two stabbed inside a high-street shop and a third person outside in the busy area.

One victim, a man aged in his 30s or 40s, was declared dead at the scene. Paramedics attended to two others – a 22-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman – with serious injuries before they were taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to reports.

A knife, about 25cm long, was used in the stabbings, superintendent Simon Glasser said.

“It’s very early in the investigation. Police are unaware at this point what the motive was. However, it appears it was a random attack,” Mr Glasser said.

“The alleged offender is known to police for petty crime and a number of mental health incidents,” he said. “He is not linked to the address he was located at. However, he is a local to the area.”

Mr Glasser said the victims were by themselves on Merrylands Road when the incident occurred and the three were not related to each other.

He said there were a lot of people in the area at the time of the attack.

“It’s a horrible offence to have taken place in Merrylands just prior to lunchtime with lots of people around,” Superintendent Glasser said of the “highly confronting” scene.

“It’s very reassuring to see members of the community come and help other members of the community that needed immediate assistance.”

Witnesses said they heard screams of people and saw a commotion with police helicopters, ambulances, and police cars arriving at the scene.

“We walked outside to see what’s happening. We seen a bunch of people, like a massive crowd, and then there was just a lady in front of the shop … and there’s just a bit of blood on the floor,” an eyewitness told ABC news.

Another eyewitness reportedly said he saw a woman with a neck injury as she was coming out of a convenience store.

Joseph Roussini, 59, said he called the emergency services after he saw a woman “screaming for her life”, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.