'Six gunshots at once': Witnesses describe moment armed patient shot dead by police

Witnesses have described the terrifying moment a man was shot dead by police after pulling out a gun at a medical clinic on the New South Wales South Coast yesterday.

Police were called to a medical centre on Junction Street in Nowra after reports a 34-year-old patient had drawn a gun about 1pm.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter said the man, who was a regular at the medical centre, was talking with a doctor when he became "extremely agitated" and spoke of "alarming things".

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"During that conversation, unprovoked, he produced a firearm," Cotter said.

Medical staff called police, who arrived shortly after and negotiations occurred for nearly two hours.

Local hairdresser Holly Spence told 9news she saw several people inside the medical centre escape.

"Within the first half-an-hour, hour, of him being in there we did see a cluster of workers or patients come running out," she said.

"But we weren't sure if it was all of them at once or if there were still some stuck in there.

"Not long after, (police) came we heard at least six gunshots all at once."

During negotiations, the man emerged from the medical centre but refused to surrender to police.

He picked up a ballistic shield dropped by an officer while waving his gun, prompting police to fire several shots.

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Footage captured from a business opposite the centre, showed a number of police swarming the entrance of the building.

"Oh my God, they shot him!" a woman can be heard saying in the background.

Cotter said police were holding a ballistic shield and had dropped it before the man picked it up and continued to brandish the gun and "raise it in the air and at police".

"A number of shots were fired by police," Cotter said.

"He was hit multiple times."

The man died at the scene despite being treated by paramedics.

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Cotter said the man was known to police but did not have criminal history.

"He does not have a significant criminal history, he was known to police through medical episodes and more recently through psychological medical episodes," he said.

NSW Police has notified the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) of the critical incident and an investigation is underway.

"The NSWPF are investigating the circumstances of the incident and this investigation will be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command," the LECC said.

"The LECC is independently monitoring the investigation of the critical incident under Part 8 of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission Act 2016 to ensure public confidence in the investigation."