A man has been charged with murder after a stabbing attack in Sydney’s west that killed a man and left two people critically injured.
The 25-year-old accused had absconded from health care 10 days before the attack while being transferred between hospitals, authorities said.
New South Wales police said they had been called to a shopping strip at Merrylands at about 10am on Tuesday.
A 38-year-old man died at the scene, while a 47-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man remained in hospital in a critical condition on Wednesday morning.
The accused allegedly fled the scene on foot and was arrested nearby on Smythe Street.
He was taken to Granville police station and charged with murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
CCTV footage published by Sydney media appears to show the start of the alleged stabbing in a Nepalese grocery store. A man wearing a white bucket hat, shirt and grey trousers walks toward the counter before allegedly stabbing the 47-year-old woman in the neck. A man was also stabbed in the shop.
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A security camera on the shop’s entry appears to show the same man fleeing the shop, walking along the footpath and stabbing another male.
CCTV footage published by Nine shows a man running along a path next to the train tracks soon after the alleged attacks. A woman pushing a pram in front of him starts to run when she sees him approaching but he passes her by.
A knife about 25cm long was used in the stabbings, Supt Simon Glasser alleged on Tuesday.
Glasser alleged the 25-year-old was known to police for “petty crime and a number of mental health incidents”.
Western Sydney local health district said the man had escaped from care 10 days before the stabbings.
“The district is aware a person alleged to be involved in the incident is a recent patient of Cumberland hospital, which provides acute inpatient care for people with complex mental health needs,” a spokesperson said.
“On 7 February, this person absconded from care while being transferred from Cumberland hospital to Westmead hospital emergency department for further medical assessment.”
NSW police and the patient’s family were notified but all attempts to contact him “were unsuccessful”, the health district said.
The health district said a formal review of the man’s care and treatment would be undertaken.
The accused was refused bail on Tuesday to appear in Parramatta local court on Wednesday.