Suicide by cop? Two killed outside Australian state police headquarters

Gunman killed police employee before being shot dead by other policemen

SYDNEY: A civilian police employee on Friday was killed in a double shooting outside law enforcement headquarters in Sydney, but the attack did not appear to be linked to terrorism, Australian authorities said.

The worker, who has not been identified, was leaving the building in Parramatta, western Sydney, around 4.30pm when he was shot once by a gunman at close range, police commissioner Andrew Scipione said.

The gunman – whose identity has also been withheld – remained on the street and later discharged more shots at an officer guarding the headquarters before being killed in an exchange of gunfire with other policemen.  “An employee of the New South Wales state police force has been callously murdered here today,” Scipione told reporters near the crime scene.

Scipione said the employee was ‘deliberately targeted’ by the gunman who was wearing a ‘long pair of long trousers and a flowing top’ and appeared to be operating alone. He did not give further details.

He said it was also possible the gunman remained on the street after shooting the employee as he wanted to ‘commit suicide by cop’.

The commissioner said although there was as yet no link to terrorism, homicide investigators assisted by the counter-terrorism unit were ‘keeping an open mind’ about why the attack took place.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2015.