Alleged knife-wielding attacker was shot before stabbing officer, police say

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens says a man was allegedly shot by police first before he stabbed an officer in the neck at Elizabeth East yesterday. He has praised the injured police officer and her partner's response in what was a "highly volatile and highly dangerous" incident What's next? The incident is now the subject of a Major Crime investigation and a Police Commissioner's Inquiry. A man was allegedly shot in the leg by police before continuing to charge forward and stab a female officer in the neck in Adelaide's north yesterday, South Australia's Police Commissioner says. The incident unfolded at about 11am on Wednesday, when police responded to reports of a male armed with a large knife running onto Main North Road at Elizabeth East. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens revealed more details about the "highly volatile and highly dangerous" incident on 891 ABC Adelaide this morning. He said the 27-year-old man allegedly "rushed at police with a large knife" and "as a result of that he was shot" by a male officer. "But he [the alleged attacker] continued, moved past one police officer and managed to stab a senior constable in the neck," Commissioner Stevens said. "As unlucky as Jessie is having being stabbed, she's incredibly fortunate there's no serious injury or ongoing concerns in relation to that wound, and we're hopeful she'll be released from hospital today." The commissioner praised Jessie and her police partner for showing "significant courage and professionalism" during yesterday's incident. "It's always very confronting when those situations actually unfold in front of you and you have to make split second decisions, that you go to protecting members of the public as well as the people you're working alongside as a police officer," he said. The alleged attacker from Woodville Gardens was also taken to hospital but police said his injuries were not considered life-threatening. Commissioner Stevens said they were expected to charge the man "in the near future". He said the matter was now the subject of a Police Commissioner's Inquiry and a senior officer would be allocated to examine the circumstances of the incident. The commissioner said Major Crime Investigation Branch would also investigate the incident. "Obviously we'll reveal all of our practices and procedures to make sure — not to suggest anything has been done incorrectly — but these are the opportunities we have to verify training and our protocols are right and that we're doing everything we can to ensure police officers can do their job safely," he said.