Three women recovering after Syd shooting

Three female bystanders injured after police officers shot at a knife-wielding man at a Sydney shopping centre are recovering in hospital.

The three women, aged between 60 and 82, were in a stable condition at Royal North Shore and Westmead hospitals on Friday evening.

The women were injured when hit by police bullets and fragments on Thursday as officers responded to the "life and death" situation in Hornsby.

A 23-year old man, who had recently gone missing from a psychiatric hospital, was acting erratically and allegedly lunged at officers armed with a carving knife.

The man, identified as Jerry Sourian, is also in a stable condition under police guard at Royal North Shore.