AUSTRALIA – A random assault at a South Australia real estate office has left one woman dead and another critically injured. Reports indicate that the attacker, recently discharged from a mental health facility, was carrying a hammer and knife when he entered the REAL Estate Agents Group office in Plympton, Adelaide, on Wednesday afternoon.
First responders arrived at the scene to find the suspect calmly waiting outside the premises while the injured women remained inside. Despite extensive effort by paramedics to save her life, 38-year-old property manager Julie Seed died at the scene. Meanwhile, the other victim underwent emergency surgery for critical injuries at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The 30-year-old suspect, who had no prior connection to either of the women, was arrested. He is expected to face murder charges. Witnesses at the scene recounted the horrific event, describing how screams echoed out from the office as the assault took place. The office is positioned near a supermarket car park, where families became unintentional witnesses to the tragic incident.
According to SA Health, the suspect had been discharged from an intensive mental health treatment order just two days before the attack. The chief psychiatrist is set to review the case.
Major crime detectives and forensic investigators are working at the crime scene, which has been cordoned off. Police are urging anyone with dashcam footage showing a man pacing Lydia Street and Anzac Highway prior to the incident to come forward.