Four people, including the offender, have been wounded as police opened fire on a man armed with a knife at a shopping mall in the Australian city of Sydney.
The shooting took place at the Hornsby Organic Food Markets located in the north of Sydney on Thursday when police were called to the mall to subdue a 23-year-old man brandishing a large carving knife before the crowds.
Witnesses said two police officers at the scene asked him to drop the knife and when he failed to do so they both opened fire.
Police said three innocent elderly women, aged between 60 and 80, sustained various injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.
According to authorities, the man, whose name has not been revealed, had been reported missing from a psychiatric center and police were trying to locate him.
Australian police declined to provide further details on the incident as an investigation is still underway.