‘Obvious’ Sydney killer targeted women, police say

Image source, Supplied

Image caption, Four of the victims (clockwise from left): Jade Young, Ashlee Good, Faraz Tahir and Pikria Darchia

By Simon Atkinson in Sydney and Hannah Ritchie

BBC News

The man who went on a stabbing rampage in a Sydney shopping centre appears to have targeted women, police say.

Joel Cauchi, 40, sent the crowded Westfield Bondi Junction complex into panic on Saturday when he began stabbing people with a long blade.

Five of the six people who died were women. Several others, including a baby girl, were injured.

The New South Wales police commissioner told Australia’s ABC News that it was “obvious” Mr Cauchi focused on women.

The only man killed in the attack was security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, who tried to intervene.

The other victims were Jade Young, 47; Pikria Darchia, 55; Dawn Singleton, 25; Ashlee Good, 38; and Yixuan Cheng, who is believed to be in her 20s.

“The videos speak for themselves, don’t they?” commissioner Karen Webb said.

“It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to detectives… that the offender focused on women and avoided the men.

“We don’t know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that’s why it’s important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him.”

Image source, Rohan Anderson

Image caption, Joel Cauchi killed five women and one man before being shot dead

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also told ABC News “the gender breakdown is, of course, concerning”.

Authorities previously said the attack was most likely “related to the mental health” of Mr Cauchi, who was shot dead by a lone police officer on Saturday.

His father, Andrew Cauchi, told reporters his son had battled with mental illness and recently come off his medication.

“To you he is a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy,” he said, in a video posted by The Australian newspaper.

“He wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain,” he added, when asked about why his son may have targeted women.

Described by her family as an “all-round outstanding human”, Ms Good was fatally stabbed while trying to protect her nine-month-old baby girl, who was also injured and rushed to hospital. After hours of emergency surgery, the baby’s condition has improved significantly, state officials said.

“In the darkest of times comes sometimes the brightest of lights and it’s something our whole country was holding its breath [for],” New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park said on Monday.

Mr Albanese confirmed that Ms Cheng was a Chinese student who was studying in Sydney. Members of her family have been informed of her death and are currently on their way to Australia, ABC News reported.

Ms Singleton – the daughter of high-profile Sydney businessman John Singleton – was working at the time of the attack. Her fiance, who is a police officer, was responding to the violence unfolding at the centre when her family learned she was killed.

Mr Tahir was a refugee from Pakistan who had only been in Australia “for a short period of time”, the prime minister told Triple M radio on Monday. Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Australia, Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, paid tribute to the 30-year-old as someone who “lost his life while saving others”.

The boss of Ms Young – who was an architect and mother of two – has remembered her as “a beautiful, kind and warm soul” on Instagram.

Few details have been reported about Ms Darchia, who described herself as an artist on LinkedIn and is reportedly from Tbilisi in Georgia.

Twelve people – including nine women, two men and the nine-month-old girl – were injured during Saturday’s rampage. Four have since been discharged from hospital, while eight continue to receive care in conditions ranging from serious to stable, according to local media.

Media caption, The scene of the Westfield Bondi mall attack is still a hive of police activity

A special strike force has been created to investigate the incident, with New South Wales Police saying it could take months to present its findings.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the “devastating and violent attack” had shaken “everybody in the city”, while announcing an A$18m ($11.6m; £9.3m) inquiry into the police response, and the interactions the killer had previously had with government agencies.

He also flagged the possibility of erecting a permanent memorial at Bondi to remember the six victims.

Mr Cauchi was already known to police but had never been arrested or charged in his home state of Queensland. He had lived itinerantly for several years and was first diagnosed with a mental illness at 17, Queensland Police said.

When asked about Mr Cauchi’s interactions with New South Wales Police, assistant commissioner Anthony Cooke said he was only aware of a “move-along-type situation” when he was sleeping rough.

Mr Park said there was no information showing Mr Cauchi had accessed treatment in New South Wales for mental health issues, but that there would be a “deep dive” into his history.

Image source, EPA

Image caption, A makeshift memorial to the victims of the Bondi Junction attack

The attack – at one of the country’s biggest and most popular shopping centres – has shocked Australia, where mass killings are rare.

Flags across the nation were being flown at half-mast on Monday and the sails of Sydney Opera House will be lit up in tribute to the victims.

Crowds of mourners have flocked to Bondi Junction, leaving flowers, teddy bears and cards to those killed in the attack.

“Beautiful angels, flying high. Rest in peace,” reads one.

“My heart breaks for all the families and our community… our hearts are with you all,” adds another.

Other messages are addressed to victims directly. “Yixuan Cheng – I am so sorry I couldn’t help you. I am sorry I didn’t hold your hand. You are in a better place now,” says one small note, pinned to a bouquet.

Additional reporting by Tiffanie Turnbull, Jay Savage and Emily Atkinson