Man shot dead in NSW Central Coast police car pursuit
A man was shot dead at a property on the New South Wales Central Coast after a car pursuit Thursday morning, NSW police have confirmed.
Police say the man was killed in a dramatic standoff at a property in Hamlyn Terrace.
Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell told a press conference that police opened fire after he pointed a longarmed firearm at them.
A search is still under way for a second man believed to have fled the scene, with officers scouring the bushland behind Warnervale public school.
Mitchell said a member of the public initially pursued the two men in the stolen vehicle at about 9am, before alerting authorities.
Officers then lost sight of the vehicle after it rammed another vehicle.
Another member of the public alerted them to the Hamlyn Terrace address, where the confrontation occurred, the commissioner said.
When police arrived, they found the vehicle, thought to be a Toyota Land
Cruiser, set alight, Mitchell said.
Officers could be seen taking cover on the property with their guns drawn, with aerial footage showing a body on the ground, covered by a sheet.
The men chose the property at random, according to Mitchell, and were seen trying to break into the garage before the shooting occurred.
Heavily armed police stormed the property near Minnesota Road at Hamlyn Terrace.
Mitchell said he thought the actions of the officers were courageous, considering the situation.
“Having a double-barrel firearm pointed at you, fear of life, there can be no more strenuous position for a police officer to be placed into.”
“They have my full support.” Emergency services were on the scene, and road closures put in place and local schools placed in lockdown.
A police statement said a critical incident team from the homicide squad will investigate the incident, which would then be subject to an independent review.