UPDATED 6:04PM: THE driver of a ute has been shot and killed outside Castle Hill Police Station this afternoon.

The man's body is still inside the ute, which is stopped in the middle of Castle St and covered in a green tarpaulin.



Police said they received a triple-0 call at about 12.40pm reporting a man in a vehicle in Castle st allegedly had a firearm.



Police surrounded the vehicle and a number of shots were fired, resulting in the man dying.



It is unclear whether the fatal shots came from his own gun or from police.



The man has not been formally identified but is believed to be aged in his 30s.

Witness Theresa Sakr, 20, said she saw men in suits surround the ute and fire at the windscreen.



"I was sitting up in library and looking out the window when I saw men in suits running toward the ute," she said.



"Three crowded around it and then I heard gunshots.



"It just happened so fast. They started blocking off roads."



Luke Timp, 20, said he saw the police surround both sides of the car, and then heard three shots.



"There were three men around the car and they took a gun from inside the car and threw it on the median strip," he said.



A Critical Incident Investigation Team has been formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Surrounding roads have been closed and motorists are warned to expect delays.



Assistant Commissioner Dennis Clifford will address the media this afternoon.



How the story unfolded:

Emergency services were called to the scene in front of Castle Hills Police Station shortly after 12.50pm.



Police were not initially able to confirm whether a man or woman died, or whether the incident involved an officer.



However there were unconfirmed reports that a man was confronted by officers after threatening another person with a gun.

Two shots were allegedly fired at a ute at corner of Castle Street and Pennant Street.

The Hills Shire Times reported that eyewitnesses said they saw the man shoot at police first.

media_camera Shooting at corner of Castle Street and Pennant Street, Castle Hill, near Castle Towers shopping centre. Police at the scene where 2 shots were allegedly fired at a ute. Picture: Isabella Lettini



Student Armin Maneshi, of Cherrybrook, said the gunfire was heard from the library.



Another witness who was in the area near the Castle Towers shopping centre described how she heard three loud “plops’’ followed by the smell of gunsmoke. A man who dropped his children off at the shopping centre, just opposite the police station, said he saw officers running out of the station in bullet proof vests.



The caller told Fairfax Radio that two silver cars had been stopped by police who seemed to be seeking information.

Pennant Street is still closed in both directions between Castle Street and Showground Road while police investigate the shooting.



Motorists are advised to avoid the area or expect significant delays.



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Originally published as Fatal shooting outside police station