Courtney Topic was just a few weeks shy of her 23rd birthday when she was shot and killed by police outside a Hungry Jack's in western Sydney.
Ms Topic, who reportedly had Asperger's syndrome, came toward police with a large kitchen knife when she was shot in the chest in the fast-food restaurant's car park at West Hoxton on Tuesday.
"We are really struggling to cope ... we are just devastated," her grieving father told Fairfax Media outside his Carnes Hill home.
Police were called to the restaurant after receiving several triple zero calls.
Some witnesses have told media that Ms Topic "looked possessed and like a zombie".
Police tried to subdue her with capsicum spray, which reportedly didn't work because she was wearing sunglasses, and used a Taser on her.
Seconds after moving at police, Ms Topic was shot and died at the scene.
Victims of Crime Assistance League vice-president Howard Brown says no one wins in a situation like this.
"I feel desperately sorry for the police officer, because that's something that he's going to have to live with, but similarly I feel desperately sorry for this poor girl's family," he told AAP.
"To get her through to 22 suffering from such a condition and then to lose her in this manner - there are no winners."
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