A man stabbed by a fly-in, fly-out worker who was shot dead by police has been airlifted to Perth and is fighting for his life.
The victim is in a critical but stable condition at Royal Perth Hospital after being transported from the state’s north by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Investigations are continuing into the South Hedland rampage through a Kmart and McDonald’s on Friday in which seven people were stabbed, including a woman pushing her child in a pram.
All but one of the victims have since been discharged from hospital.
The attacker has been identified as a FIFO worker from Perth, aged in his 30s and known to authorities.
The victim is in a critical but stable condition at Royal Perth Hospital after being transported from the state’s north by the Royal Flying Doctor Service
Police say he stabbed a man at a motel and another who was in a car at the local McDonald’s before entering the South Hedland Square shopping centre and attacking a further two men and three women.
Two officers attempted to subdue him and fired a Taser before he lunged at them with a ‘very large’ knife.
An officer fired several shots and the man died at the scene.
South Hedland Police officer-in-charge Jeremy Marklew described the incident as a tragedy and urged anyone affected to reach out for support.
‘Our officers involved in the incident are ‘ok’, and we’re doing everything we can to support them and their welfare, after their heroic duties yesterday,’ he said in a Facebook post.
Investigations are continuing into the South Hedland rampage through a Kmart and McDonald’s on Friday in which seven people were stabbed, including a woman pushing her child in a pram (pictured: The knifeman, in his 30s, after he was shot dead by police)
One of the victims was Esther Brooks, who was slashed in the back while the man fled police.
In an exclusive interview, Ms Brooks shared shocking photos of her bloodied T-shirt, and told Daily Mail Australia: ‘I’m sore – but I’m OK. I live to tell the story.’
Her stunned boyfriend David Derschow said Ms Brooks had just gone on a coffee run when she was attacked by the crazed man.
‘She was just getting iced coffees,’ he said on Friday night.
Mr Derschow said he heard screaming coming from the shopping centre and walked up to find carnage.
‘She didn’t know him,’ he said, adding he had no idea why his girlfriend had been brutally attacked.
One of the victims was Esther Brooks (pictured), who was slashed in the back while the man fled police
Ms Brooks was in such a state of shock she didn’t even realise she’d been injured in the melee. ‘When he stabbed me, he was running from police.’
Mr Derschow said: ‘She’s good now, she didn’t know she was stabbed until she asked if she was stabbed.
‘A Good Samaritan, within minutes of walking out, offered to take us to the emergency room.’
Ms Brooks is in a stable condition and has had her injury stitched up.
Another terrified eyewitness, who was forced to dive behind a counter with her young daughter, told Daily Mail Australia that two brave officers gave chase to the attacker.
‘I saw the man run past being chased by two officers,’ the witness said.
‘They were trying to stop him with their tasers, but he wasn’t stopping.
‘He then ran towards the female officer and swiped towards her neck.
‘It was at that point I took my daughter behind the counter and then heard the gun shot. They immediately asked for medical support.
In an exclusive interview, Ms Brooks shared shocking photos of her bloodied T-shirt, and told Daily Mail Australia: ‘I’m sore – but I’m OK. I live to tell the story’
‘Once I knew it was safe, I was helped to get out the back door to shield my daughter from it.
‘I can not thank the police officers enough and just hope the others hurt will be OK.
‘The police deserve a medal, they were heroes. If it weren’t for them, more people would have been hurt or even killed.’
An additional witness told Daily Mail Australia she screamed at shoppers to seek safety after seeing the man stab a young man at McDonald’s.
‘I saw the man stab the young guy in the McDonald’s car park then he ran towards the Kmart entrance. Everyone started yelling and running after him,’ she said.
‘There was massive amounts of screaming at the Kmart entrance when he stabbed two more people.
‘I yelled at families with kids to run then went to check the man that was stabbed.’
The witness said she drove a man who suffered stab wounds to hospital.
‘We were just all in shock. It was completely random, he was just getting into his car,’ she said.
Another terrified eyewitness, who was forced to dive behind a counter with her young daughter, told Daily Mail Australia that two brave officers gave chase to the attacker
Senior Sergeant Marklew said the South Hedland Square shopping centre would reopen on Saturday, as would licensed premises which had closed as a mark of respect (pictured)
Armed with a carving knife, the man was said to have swung at a women with a toddler in her trolley – stabbing her in the back, leg and hands.
Senior Sergeant Marklew said the South Hedland Square shopping centre would reopen on Saturday, as would licensed premises which had closed as a mark of respect.
Police Commissioner Chris Dawson has said there was no indication the man was politically or ideologically motivated.
The shooting was captured on CCTV and on police body-worn cameras.
Homicide detectives have flown to South Hedland and the professional standards division will also investigate.
A WA Police Union team has also been deployed to assist the two officers.