While a pathway of flowers outside Parramatta police headquarters grows by the day, inside workers are still coming to terms with a popular colleague's shocking death.
Veteran police accountant Curtis Cheng, 58, was gunned down by 15-year-old Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar as he left work on Friday afternoon.
"It was just like a lottery ticket I guess," a civilian worker, who wished not to be named, said.
The man would have left the office around the same time Mr Cheng was killed had he not taken the day off work.
"There are guys there that missed the situation by thirty seconds or so."
The IT worker returned to work on Tuesday and said many of his colleagues were still shaken up.
"There are a lot of upset people ... you have done a good day's work, you feel proud and haven't wasted taxpayers' money and then some idiot comes around who has been wound up like a toy, been handed a gun and does some havoc."
"It hits pretty close to home."
In light of recent terror threats, NSW Police have been urged to wear their guns at all times.
The civilian worker said he felt safer knowing officers were armed at all times.
"I don't think they (the police force) have been coming down hard enough (on terrorists), they are being too liberal," he said.
More than 200 officers were involved in pre-dawn raids in western Sydney on Wednesday in relation to Mr Cheng's shooting.
Mr Cheng has been described as a "well-regarded family man".
His family have expressed their gratitude for the overwhelming support from the public, the government and his colleagues.
Funeral arrangements are still being organised.
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