Three Pedestrians Killed In Melbourne CBD [Breaking]


UPDATED: This article now contains a statement from the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Three people are confirmed dead and up to 20 have been injured after a man drove through the Melbourne CBD in Australia today. Officials have confirmed to Sky News that this incident is not a terrorist attack but related to an earlier stabbing.

At 1:30 p.m. local time, a man was seen doing burnouts in the intersection outside the iconic Flinders Street Station in Melbourne before he drove along Swanston Street and entered the pedestrian-only section of Bourke Street Mall. He was seen to be traveling at high speed and then deliberately drove into crowds, hitting many people. One child in a pram was struck, and, as yet unsubstantiated reports by Sky News indicate, this child died at the scene. The man was eventually stopped and detained on William Street. Eyewitnesses reported hearing gun shots. It was later confirmed by Victoria Police the suspect had been shot and was now in hospital “under police guard.”

According to a press conference given at 3 p.m. local time, police confirmed three people had died as a result of the incident. It was also confirmed a further 20 people, of which four are children, had been injured. Sky News claimed a source from one of the hospitals confirmed one of the deceased was a child who died at the scene after being struck by the vehicle.

According to ABC News, the driver has been arrested, the incident has been contained, and people need not be concerned any further events like this will unfold in the Melbourne CBD.

Acting Commander Stuart Bateson, from Victoria Police, released the following statement about the incident.

“We have the offender in custody. There is no further threat to the public at this stage. We believe this male did some donuts at Flinders Street and Swanston Street, turned left into the Bourke Street Mall and deliberately drove into the crowd, continued along the footpath colliding with further pedestrians.”

Bateson also implored people to stay away from the Melbourne CBD while they process this horrific incident.

“It is going to take us a really long time to process this scene. Our priority at the moment is with the injured, and it must be that we give them our attention. We ask members of the public that perhaps witnessed the incident, if they’ve left the city, please log your details with Crime Stoppers.”

This incident has been confirmed as linked to a stabbing that occurred earlier in the suburb of Windsor. According to ABC News, police were called to Raleigh Street in Windsor at 2:15 a.m. A man involved in this incident took himself to the hospital with stab wounds. He is listed as being in a stable condition. It has been reported by ABC Radio Melbourne‘s Raf Epstein that the man involved in the Melbourne CBD incident is a relative of the stabbed man.

Unsubstantiated eye witness reports indicate a woman may have traveled with the suspect in the car for some time before he reached Swanston Street. This reports suggests the woman was detained as a hostage in the car. Sky News reports that Australia’s Herald Sun indicated this incident could have occurred as a result of a domestic violence incident.

The Royal Children’s Hospital released details via a news conference in regard to the condition of the children taken there after the Melbourne CBD incident. It was confirmed five patients were received at the RCH. A 3-month-old is currently in surgery, a 2-year-old is in intensive care, a 9-year-old with “limb injuries” has been sent to the ward, a 12-year-old currently be assessed in the ED, and a 23-year-old was also treated for limb injuries.

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton confirmed in a press conference that the suspect was shot in the arm by police during the Melbourne CBD incident. The 26-year-old man has killed three people as a result of this incident, including a man, a woman in her 30s, and a young child. Those killed are not believed to have been related.

Of the 15 people he reported as injured during the incident, five are in a critical injured. One of those is listed as an infant child.

The police confirm they do know a lot about the individual, including the fact he has come to their attention in the past in relation to domestic violence, drug and mental health issues. More recently, he was involved in assault incidents.

It was also confirmed that a woman was present in the car with the suspect prior to the incident in the CBD. She was released at some point and the police are now talking to her. It was also confirmed the man injured in the earlier incident at Windsor was the suspect’s brother.

The Red Cross Notification Network is available for those who want information about loved ones that may have been involved in the Melbourne CBD incident are urged to call 1800 727 077.

The Chief Commissioner urged witnesses to also step forward and contact Crime Stoppers in relation to the event. Victoria Police’s Facebook page has also been set up to accept video footage in relation to the incident.

People who were in the Melbourne CBD and witnessed the event as it unfolded are asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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