An ordinary Saturday afternoon in a busy Sydney shopping mall became the location of one of the most shocking acts of violence the city has seen.
Five women and one man were killed by the attacker at Westfield Bondi Junction around 3:20pm, before the man was taken down by a lone female police officer, who was named on Sunday morning as Amy Scott. Many more were injured, including a nine-month-old baby.
Police named the attacker during a press conference this morning as Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old man from Queensland. Police also reiterated details shared last night that they don’t believe there is any ongoing threat to the community, nor that the man had acted with “any particular ideology or motivation.”
However, police did say they will “canvass the possibility” that Cauchi may have intentionally set out to harm women, as well as the fact, “we know that the offender in the matter suffered, suffers from mental health.”
As of the 8th of April, 18 women were known to have been killed by violence in Australia, according to Destroy The Joint. The murders in Bondi on Saturday bring that figure now to 23, with five in just one day.
Late on Saturday night, police revealed some basic details of those killed as well as the injured, which included a nine-month-old baby girl. We also now know that one of the five women killed was the baby’s mother, who died in hospital.
Witness accounts and videos have also been shared documenting heroic acts of bravery, including of the brothers who helped the injured baby, another man who held off the attacker with a bollard on an escalator, as well as the “sole unit” policewoman, who ran toward the attacker, as other followed behind with chairs and whatever they could find to support her.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as “unspeakable violence” that was “just beyond comprehension,” during a press conference on Sunday morning.
“Australians are waking up to try and deal with the shock and trauma that will come with what has occurred, with violent actions that are unspeakable and really just beyond comprehension,” he said.
“People going about their Saturday afternoon shopping should be safe, shouldn’t be at risk, but tragically we saw a loss of life and people will be grieving for loved ones today. We also know there are many people still in hospital dealing with recovery and our thoughts and prayers are with them.
He also noted the “quite extraordinary” bravery of those who confronted the attacker, describing them as “the best of Australians amidst this extraordinary tragedy,” he said.
On Sunday morning, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park shared an update on those injured, sharing that the nine-month-old baby was in a “critical condition” and had surgery overnight.
“Now we certainly are hoping that she gets through this but there is a long way to go and we will keep the community informed as to the update and status of patients that we also have to make sure that we are updating their family and loved ones first,” he said.
Independnet MP for Wentworth Allegra Spender, told ABC News 23 this morning that thousands of people will have been affected by the violence, and that “this will be reverberating across the community for some time.”
“My job for today will be to be out and about and really there for the community as much as I possibly can.”