Shocking surveillance footage has emerged of the moment police shot a 16-year-old boy who stabbed a man in a Bunnings carpark.
The teenage boy was shot after police asked him to drop a kitchen knife he allegedly used to stab a stranger after 10pm on Saturday night.
Police said the teen called triple-0 earlier that evening saying he was “going to commit acts of violence” before hanging up the phone.
They have since confirmed he was among four participants of an official deradicalisation program in 2022.
On Sunday night, CCTV emerged of the tense moment police surrounded the teen offender and begged him to drop his weapon.
It shows the 16-year-old standing a short distance away from about four police as blue and red lights flash off the rain-soaked carpark.
Police Commissioner Col Blanch said when police arrived on the scene, two officers withdrew their tasers, while a third took out their firearm as they asked him to put his weapon down.
“They challenged the male to put down the knife, which he did not comply,” he said.
He rushed officers with the weapon prompting them to deploy their tasers before third officer discharged a single shot.
A blurred circle covers the teen after the fatal blow.
A man – aged in his 30s – was located close by with a stab wound. It is understood he had been leaving a 24-hour gym in the complex.
He was treated at the scene by St John Ambulance WA and transported to Royal Perth Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
Commissioner Blanch said the boy was known to police, had mental health issues, and appeared to have been radicalised online.
“Members of the local Muslim community contacted police, also calling triple-0, just prior to the incident with their concerns,” he said.
Police have said the incident has all the “hallmarks” of a terrorist incident, but have not to declare it as one.
The Imam of Perth’s largest mosque, the Nasir Mosque, Imam Syed Wadood Janud condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
“The whole community is shook, and we are all concerned regarding the perpetrators’ online radicalisation that early reports are hinting towards,” he said.
“There is no place for violence in Islam. We appreciate the effort of the police to keep our communities safe. I also want to commend the local Muslim community who had flagged the individual prior with the police.”
The Australian National Imams Council described the incident as “tragic”.
“The young person who was shot was known to the police and the police had been engaging with him over a two-year period,” a statement issued on Sunday said.
“It is understood he also had mental health issues.
“Some members of the community reported the young person to the police on seeing a message given that the police had been engaging with him and best understood his circumstances.”
ANIC’s members in Perth will continue to assist the authorities as required.