A baby is fighting for its life, and many others remain in hospital, as Melbourne reels after police say a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians in Bourke Street Mall, killing four people.
Police said a man and a woman, both in their 30s, and a young child, were killed in different locations along Bourke St yesterday, and a fourth person died later in the evening.
Police shot the suspect, believed to be 26-year-old Dimitrious Gargasoulas, before he was arrested on Bourke St.
He remains under police guard in hospital.
More than 20 people were injured in the incident, and were taken to The Alfred, St Vincent’s, Royal Melbourne and Royal Children’s hospitals, where many remain.
The Royal Children’s Hospital said a three-month-old had been operated on and is in a critical condition, a two-year-old is in intensive care in a serious condition and a 13-year-old is in a stable condition after being assessed by emergency.
A nine-year-old and a 23-year-old were also admitted with limb injuries and have since been discharged, while two others were discharged last night.
St Vincent’s hospital admitted six people — three women in their 30s, two men in the their 30s and a man in his 40s, with serious but non-life threatening injuries — all but one remain in hospital.
The hospital said two people also checked themselves in with anxiety-related issues, as many in the city struggle with what the city’s Lord Mayor Robert Doyle described as an “absolute horror”.
Counsellor from the Trauma Centre of Australia Peter Horton said he had been contacted by businesses to provide counselling for shocked workers.
“Basically we’ve got to respond to people who have been affected by the incident,” he said.
“So they’ve actually seen their employees affected by the trauma and they want us to help.”
‘Tens of thousands’ affected by Bourke St trauma
Bourke Street mall is still cordoned off as Victoria Police continue their investigations into the incident.
Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said at 1:45pm yesterday the vehicle entered the city driving erratically and did “burnouts” on the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets.
Witnesses said there was “no hesitation” as the car drove into pedestrians in Melbourne’s CBD, sending “people flying like skittles” and running for their lives.
Police have called for anyone who took photos or shot video of the incident to upload it their site.
Photos of an upturned pram were widely shared on Friday afternoon and Mr Horton said it was normal for people across the city to have been affected by the shock of the incident.
“There are people on the ground viewing things, there are people in the buildings viewing things, in addition to that there are response services,” he said.
“But more importantly what is very, very daunting, the actual response by the media and the immediacy of the media to report what is going on – that becomes very real to everyone else who is listening on the radio, television or any other media.
“So it’s not talking about thousands, but tens of thousands because those people have to build a story and an understanding about their own safety of going to a mall in the future.”
Mr Horton said he had received two calls from businesses in Melbourne’s CBD seeking to support staff.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
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