A middle-aged woman fatally stabbed by a younger female, who was then shot dead by a Victoria Police officer in Melbourne’s north-east on Friday night, were mother and daughter.

Two officers were called to Kett Street in Lower Plenty about 6.30pm on Friday following reports a woman was setting her mother on fire. The officers discovered the distressing scene unfolding while speaking to a concerned neighbour next door.

The officers jumped the fence separating the properties and were confronted by a daughter repeatedly stabbing her mother. Victoria Police acting superintendent Scott Colson said the two members called on the young woman, believed to be 26 years of age, to drop the knife.

“However, she continued to stab the mother,” Colson said. “And the members, from my understanding, were left with no other choice but to shoot [the daughter].

“What occurred last night was an absolute tragedy for our members, the community and the victims. No member wants to go to work expecting or wanting to draw their firearm.”

There was no reason to believe the mother, aged in her early 50s, had actually been set on fire, the acting superintendent told reporters during a Saturday afternoon press conference. He said the officers were nonetheless presented with a “terrible dilemma” given the mother was being stabbed in the neck and torso.

According to Victoria Police one firearm was used during the incident, which occurred at the mother’s property. However, it is not known how many shots were discharged from the police-issued weapon, where on the body the knife-wielding woman was hit, or how far she was from police. Both women died at the scene.

Colson said the officers, who each had four to six years experience in the force, acted “absolutely appropriately given their training and within the guidelines”. The more junior officer was the one who discharged his firearm. Neither was armed with a taser.