SYDNEY, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A man has been shot dead by police following a six-hour siege at a home north of Sydney on Wednesday night.
The police force in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement on Thursday that officers were conducting a welfare check at a home in Springfield, in the north of Sydney, around 3:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday when a 49-year-old male resident armed himself with a screwdriver and other sharp objects.
Specialist police were deployed to the scene and a perimeter was established while officers continued to communicate with the man.
The siege continued until 9:25 p.m. local time when the man attempted to burn an officer by lighting an aerosol can.
According to the police statement, tactical support officers subsequently gained entry to the premises before the man armed himself with a sharp object and stabbed an officer multiple times.
Police shot the man, who was treated by ambulance paramedics but died at the scene.
A police officer received a minor injury during the incident.
NSW Police said a crime scene has been established, and the incident will be investigated by homicide squad detectives with oversight from police integrity bodies. ■