Two Dead in Shooting Outside Sydney Police Headquarters

AUSTRALIAN police said on Saturday that the shooting of a civilian police employee by a 15-year-old gunman near a Sydney police station was linked to terrorism.

The source said the 15-year-old was armed with a revolver and did not know the victim, Curtis Cheng.

NSW Premier Mike Baird has urged people to go on with their lives, including celebrating this weekend’s AFL and NRL Grand Finals, following a shooting which left two people dead in Parramatta last night.

The gunman, dressed in dark baggy trousers and long top, then exchanged fire with two other police officers before he was shot dead.

A special constable was also shot and injured in the incident outside of police headquarters.

The incident happened at 4.30pm at Charles Street.

Terrorism hasn’t been ruled out as a motive, Scipione said, adding that the officers “exhibited enormous bravery”.

NSW police confirmed the deaths and said in a statement that an investigation into the incident has been launched.

“This man was simply leaving work this afternoon”, Scipione said.

Scipione said police had no information to suggest the gunman posed “this type of threat”.

The building is home to the the homicide, drug, Middle Eastern organised crime and gangs squads.

With their day-to-day jobs involving security checks and body scans at the State Crime Command, the three responded in a “copybook” manner when their workplace suddenly came under attack by 15 year-old Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar.

The NSW police minister, Troy Grant, said the circumstances surrounding the shooting made it “even more devastating”.

Witnesses to the killing have told Australian media outlets they saw him running around in front of the police building with a handgun in the air shouting out “Allah!”

“I heard six or seven gunshots and it was pretty loud”. ASIO reportedly had told the family of one suspect to stop their son communicating with an extremist recruiter, who groomed Melbourne terrorist Numan Haider.