SYDNEY, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A man has been shot dead by police in Melbourne's western suburbs after allegedly charging at officers with a knife.

A police statement issued on Friday said that officers were called to reports of a man armed with a knife in the inner-west suburb of Footscray about 9 p.m. on Thursday.

Two officers attending the scene found the man and instructed him to drop the weapon.

"The man then charged towards the police, still armed with the knife, and was shot by both officers," the police statement said.

The man, who has not been formally identified, was treated by ambulance paramedics but died at the scene.

Local mayor Pradeep Tiwari said in a post on social media that he was nearby when the "incredibly distressing event" unfolded and said his thoughts were with "everyone affected."

The police in the state of Victoria said that detectives from the homicide squad would investigate the incident with oversight from the force's professional standards body. ■