Mass Stabbing in Sydney Mall

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Seven people are dead, and others are in serious or critical condition after a stabbing rampage in a mall in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, according to police. The attacker, who was shot by a lone officer, was among the dead, and a baby among those stabbed.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Anthony Cooke told a news conference that the attacker walked into the Westfield Bondi Junction mall at about 3:20 p.m. local time (1:20 a.m. ET) where he “caused harm” to about nine people “stabbing them with a weapon he was carrying.” The weapon “was most likely a knife,” he said.

A spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance told NBC News that a nine-month-old baby was “transported to Sydney Children’s Hospital with a pediatric stab wound.”

Cooke said that an inspector near the scene was guided to the offender’s location by members of the public. As she pursued him from behind, Cooke said the offender turned and the officer shot him.

“She took the action, saving a range of people’s lives,” he added.

He said the offender's motives were not clear, but he acted alone and that there was no continuing threat.

Surveillance video showed a man running through the mall holding a long knife. Reports from local media described chaos, as some shoppers fled and others attempted to stop the man. Some shops reportedly pulled down their shutters, sequestering some people inside in order to keep them safe.

A police officer and several bystanders are being hailed for running “towards danger” to confront the attacker who stabbed and killed six people at a suburban Sydney shopping center.

The shopping mall, one of the country’s busiest and near the world-famous Bondi Beach, was a hub of activity on Saturday afternoon when 40-year-old Joel Cauchi used a knife to kill five women and one man. He also injured at least a dozen others, including a 9-month-old baby whose mother died during the attack, before a police officer shot him dead.

New South Wales Police confirmed Sunday Cauchi had a history of mental illness and investigators weren’t treating the attack as terrorism-related.

The number would have been far higher, according to NSW Premier Chris Minns who on Sunday praised “the ordinary members of the public that cornered and confronted a murderer in the Westfield Shopping Centre, showing what I would call instinctive bravery under terrible circumstances.”

Talking to reporters while standing outside the shopping mall, Minns underscored the role played by Inspector Amy Scott — the first emergency responder on the scene — who shot and killed Cauchi and has since been widely lauded as a hero.

"(Scott)... ran towards danger and showed professionalism and bravery and without a shadow of a doubt, saved many, many lives in the last 24 hours,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised Scott in a press conference in Canberra: “The wonderful inspector who ran into danger by herself and removed the threat that was there to others, without thinking about the risks to herself,” he said.

He commended “ordinary Australians putting themselves in harm’s way in order to help their fellow citizens. That bravery was quite extraordinary that we saw yesterday.”

Video footage shared online showed many people fleeing, some carrying their children as they escaped while a knife-wielding Cauchi ran erratically through the shopping center, lunging at people.

Other footage showed a bystander holding what appeared to be a metal pole to hold off Cauchi who was coming up an escalator at the time.

Australian police said Monday that the attacker who fatally stabbed six people at a busy shopping mall in Sydney’s beach suburb of Bondi may have been targeting women, as heartbreaking details emerged of those who lost their lives, plunging a nation into mourning.

Five women were among the six people killed by 40-year-old Joel Cauchi when he rampaged through Bondi Junction’s busy Westfield shopping center on Saturday, turning the weekend fall afternoon into a scene of panic and terror.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told ABC Breakfast News Monday that while police do not yet know the attacker’s motivation, the fact he appeared to target women is “certainly a line of enquiry for us.”

“The videos (of the attack) speak for themselves don’t they,” Webb said. “It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to the detectives that that seems to be an area of interest, that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men.”

Authorities warned the investigation could take weeks and police will continue to interview witnesses and follow different lines of enquiry.

Police had earlier said Cauchi, from the neighboring state of Queensland, was known to authorities and had “suffered from mental health [issues]” though he had not been prosecuted or charged with any previous criminal offense in the state.

Baby stabbed in attack ‘doing well’
More details are emerging about the six people killed in Saturday’s attack, including a mother whose baby was also stabbed, a Chinese student, and a security guard who was on his first day keeping watch at the mall that was struck.

Among the victims is Ashlee Good, 38, who was described by her family in a statement as “a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more.”

Good was rushed to hospital in critical condition but later died from her injuries. Her nine-month-old daughter was also stabbed in the attack and received emergency surgery overnight.

“We can report that after hours of surgery yesterday our baby is currently doing well,” the family said in the statement.

Faraz Tahir, 30, was also identified as among those killed. He was described in a statement from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia as an “integral member of our community, known for his unwavering dedication and kindness.”

Tahir was on duty as a security guard at the mall at the time of the attack, the statement said, and is the only male victim.

It was his first day on the job in that location, his friend Adnan Qadir told CNN affiliate 7 News.

“He was really excited. He had a lot of ambition for his future, just settling into his new country… He was looking forward to a stable career to make a family up here. And it’s just sad how it all ended up.”

The community said Tahir was a refugee who had fled persecution in his home country of Pakistan and sought refuge in Australia a year ago.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told KIIS 1065 radio on Monday that the sixth victim was identified as Yixuan Cheng, a Chinese national who was studying in Australia.

Officer praised as a ‘hero’
Meanwhile, the officer who shot the mall attacker has been praised as a hero for her actions, which authorities said undoubtably saved more lives.

Senior police inspector Amy Scott arrived on the scene first and was alone when she engaged the attacker. She shot him when he lunged at her with a knife, police said.

Scott is a highly trained officer who “did what she was trained to do… We are very grateful to her,” said Yasmin Catley, New South Wales Minister for Police.

Police Commissioner Webb told ABC news that Scott was “doing ok” and “spending some time with her family.”

“She’s an experienced officer. I’ve known Amy for many years, she’s been operational her whole career,” Webb said.

Mall attacker was known to authorities, slept rough
Lowe said Cauchi had “not been prosecuted or charged with any criminal offense in Queensland or found in possession of knives in the street checks.”

Cauchi’s family released a statement saying he “has battled with mental health issues” since he was a teenager.

“Joel’s actions were truly horrific, and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened,” the family said.

“We are in contact with both the New South Wales Police Force and Queensland Police Service and have no issues with the Police Officer who shot our son as she was only doing her job to protect others, and we hope she is coping alright,” the statement said.

Andrew Cauchi, the father of Joel Cauchi, told CNN affiliate 9 News that he was “heartbroken” for the families of the victims.

“I’m extremely sorry. I’m heartbroken for you. Look, this is so horrendous, that I can’t even explain it,” he said. “To you he’s a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy. He was a very sick boy.”