The former partner of Nathan Michael Doherty saw him moving towards police armed with a meat cleaver, a knife and with his face covered, in the lead-up to last year's fatal shooting.
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Kylee Dowell is giving evidence at the coronial inquest into the tragic death of Mr Doherty, 27, on Wheeler Crescent on the morning of February 13 last year.
Mr Doherty had arrived on her doorstep shortly before the incident, intoxicated, angry and armed with a meat cleaver.
"He said 'let me in, I love you but I have to kill you'," Ms Dowell told counsel assisting the coroner, Shane Gill.
"I believed that if he did get his hands on me, that would have been it."
Ms Dowell, who was six months' pregnant with their child at the time, said she locked the screen door and told Mr Doherty she wouldn't let him in unless he put down the weapon.
Earlier in the hearing Mr Doherty's parents, Sandie and Michael, painted a picture of a loving young man battling mental health issues and a history of alcohol abuse.
Both parents and Ms Dowell said Mr Doherty had never previously been violent or threatened them.
But when he arrived at Ms Dowell's home that morning, she was frightened.
"I looked at him, and it looked like he wasn't there," she said.
"His eyes were so empty."
Mr Doherty's arrival at the house followed a series of aggressive text messages in which he railed against Ms Dowell for an apparent relationship with another man.
The messages were apparently prompted by a message meant for one of her friends but accidentally sent to Mr Doherty referring to a "rebound".
The pair had been separated for about a week at this stage, and Mr Doherty had started seeing another woman, but Ms Dowell believed they would rekindle their relationship.
In the tirade of messages Mr Doherty threatened to kill either himself or Ms Dowell, but she told Mr Gill she didn't take the threats seriously.
"You didn't think he'd be capable of doing it?," Mr Gill asked.
"No," she replied.
When Mr Doherty arrived at her home Ms Dowell was on the phone to his mother, Sandie, who was in the car with Michael Doherty on their way to the scene.
Ms Dowell said she was initially worried about calling the police and concerned about how Nathan Doherty might react if officers arrived.
In 2007 Mr Doherty was shot by police in a similar situation – one he later said he never intended to survive.
"But he always said he was very grateful to have a second chance as well," Ms Dowell added.
"You had a specific concern in your mind that if the police turned up Nathan might attack them so he would be shot?," Mr Gill asked.
"Yes," Ms Dowell replied.
The court heard Mr Doherty went around to the bedroom window and tried to get in, at which point Ms Dowell fled out the front door and met the man's parents, who took her to the end of the street.
As events unfolded Ms Dowell spoke to Mr Doherty over the phone, and said he told her he wouldn't go to jail.
A female police officer subsequently asked the Dohertys and Ms Dowell to leave the area.
Ms Dowell told the court she saw Mr Doherty outside the house carrying a knife and a meat cleaver, moving towards a line of retreating police officers.
The witness said the man had his face covered and was moving "in a very aggressive manner".
The hearing before Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker continues.
Support is available for anyone who may be distressed by calling SANE Helpline 1800 18 7263; Lifeline 131 114; Salvo Crisis Line - 9331 2000; beyondblue 1300 22 46 36.
