Women were the main targets of a mentally ill attacker who murdered six people during a stabbing spree that has shocked the nation, New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns says.
Five women and one man were killed, while 12 others, including a baby, were seriously injured under the hand of 40-year-old Queensland attacker Joel Cauchi.
The terrifying rampage at Westfield shopping mall in Bondi Junction on Saturday April 13 only came to an end when senior police officer Amy Scott rushed to the scene by herself and fatally shot the man.
According to witnesses, Ms. Scott sprinted through the top level of the complex and came face-to-face with the knife-wielding man. Mr. Cauchi lunged at the officer, before she shot him in the chest.
Some of the survivors were discharged from hospital overnight, some continue being monitored, while the baby remains in stable condition following surgery, Mr. Minns told Sky News Australia on April 15.
The premier said the motive of the attacker may never be conclusively known.
“The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of women in NSW hospitals and women were targeted by this attacker,” Mr. Minns said.
“It’s been a terrible day, a terrible weekend for Sydney and NSW and there’s millions of people that are grieving at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the gender breakdown was “concerning.”
“Each and every victim here is mourned ... for their loved ones our heart goes out to them,” he told ABC Radio National.
During a press conference on April 14, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she had received reports the man was motivated by a desire to attack women.
PM Says Review Will Be Needed
Speaking to Sydney’s radio station KIIS, Mr. Albanese said the incident would “provoke a review of what should be done and what can be done in the future.”He also praised the female inspector and people who “rushed towards danger to help their follow Australians,” not knowing whether the attacker was armed with firearms.
“The fact that this inspector, Amy Scott, she is a hero,” he said.
“But others as well, they all rushed to the scene not knowing what they were rushing into, not knowing if this person was armed with firearms. Not knowing if there was one or more perpetrators.”
The prime minister also noted that there was “no indication that this guy was about to engage in any act of violence, let alone such a large scale, senseless act of violence that we saw.”
“You have now a sixth victim who’s just been identified, Yixuan Cheng, was a Chinese national who was studying here in Australia,” he said.
“So there was, you know, there’s no sense of anything other than randomness.”
“People going about their shopping, and in the case of Faraz Tahir, a gentleman who hadn’t been here that long, a refugee from Pakistan who was working as a security guard.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Cauchi’s estranged family issued a statement through Queensland Police on April 14, saying his actions were “truly horrific” and they were still “trying to comprehend what has happened.”
“He has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager,” they said.
The family were said to be supportive of the police who shot him, saying she was only doing her job to protect others.
