A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder over the fatal stabbing of a paramedic at McDonald’s as it emerged the victim was due to welcome a baby in weeks.
Steven Tougher, 29, was allegedly stabbed during a meal break in Campbelltown, southwest Sydney, about 5.30am Friday.
He was reportedly completing paperwork in the back of the ambulance van towards the end of a night shift when the frenzied attack took place in the carpark.
Media report that a man armed with a knife allegedly lunged at Mr Tougher and stabbed him repeatedly in the stomach.
The paramedic’s colleague activated a duress alarm, sparking a police response.
A young man wielding a knife was tasered and arrested. He was charged with murder late Friday and has been refused bail.
He is due to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday.
The victim was assisted by witnesses at the scene but died shortly after arriving at Liverpool Hospital.
Baby due in weeks
The father of a little boy, aged three, Steven and his wife Madison were due to welcome a second baby in a few weeks.
His Facebook page shows Steven had only recently married his sweetheart Madison in July last year.
Joyful pictures from the couple’s wedding day are used as his profile and background photos.
Friends and family have rallied around his grieving widow as she prepares to give birth.
“Madison is due to have her second child in a few short weeks,” said a colleague on a GoFundMe page.
“Madison is a valued team member of the Core Disability Network and her partner was well-known to our community.
“We hope that any funds raised through this platform can go to support Madison and her family during this extremely difficult time.”
Mr Tougher had been working for the ambulance service for about a year, a job he knew was his destiny since the age of five.
He was excited about being posted to southwest Sydney where he wanted to raise his growing family.
“I’m told he was just so pleased he was going to be able to stay here with his family, bring up his children and look forward to the area he lived in and loved more than anything,” said NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan.
Paramedics unions said the “profound tragedy” highlighted how often such work took place in hostile environments.
“An incident like this only heightens the awareness of the important job that we do,” Australian Paramedics Association assistant secretary Brendan McIlveen said.
“We extend our deepest sympathy and support to the family and colleagues of this young paramedic,” Health Services Union state secretary Gerard Hayes said.
NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce battled tears as she told reporters the health system was one big family and “everything conceivable” would be done to support the paramedic’s relatives.
“To lose someone in this way is incomprehensible to us. Our health system has been through a lot over these last three years,” she said.
“We’re so grateful to the police for their assistance this morning, to the words of condolence that we’ve received from so many.”
Detectives were seeking information about a blue Honda Jazz being driven around the Ingleburn and Campbelltown areas before the pre-dawn attack.
