World

Six people died in a shocking stabbing attack in Bondi Junction on Saturday. Here's where things stand

08:35 am on 15 April 2024

By Catherine Hanrahan for ABC

Photo: AFP/David Gray

A police investigation into the stabbing deaths of six people at Westfield Bondi Junction could take "weeks and months", according to NSW Police.

Investigations under Strike Force Mcauley are continuing as police sift through the statements of hundreds of potential witnesses and hours of video footage.

A brief of all the evidence will be presented to the NSW Coroner.

Shortly after 4pm on Saturday, shoppers and staff at Westfield Bondi Junction noticed people running for their lives.

Soon after, many stores went into lockdown as a forty-year-old man moved through the shopping centre stabbing people.

NSW Police has confirmed Queenslander Joel Cauchi killed six people, including four women and one man, a security guard.

Cauchi was shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott, who according to NSW Police was nearby checking liquor licences at local hotels before the attack happened.

Twelve people were taken to four Sydney hospitals.

Four have since been discharged, and on Monday, eight were still in hospital in conditions ranging from critical to stable.

They include Taha Umar Khan, who was working as a security guard in the centre when the attack occurred.

Tributes continue to flow

Five of the six victims have been named.

They are 38-year-old mother Ashlee Good, Faraz Tahir, a Pakistani national who was a security guard at the centre, 25-year-old Dawn Singleton, 47-year-old Jade Young and 55-year-old Pikria Darchia.

Pikria Darchia, 55, has been identified as one of the six victims of the Bondi Junction knifeman. Photo: Supplied/NSW Police

Good, who was attacked alongside her nine-month-old baby, was the first victim to be named.

On Sunday, Ashlee Good's nine-month-old baby remained in hospital in a critical but stable condition after also being attacked.

Her family said the baby was now "doing well" after undergoing hours of emergency surgery.

Photo: Supplied

"Today we are reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more," Good's family said in a statement on Sunday.

Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old Pakistani national who was working as a security guard at Westfield Bondi Junction, has also been identified as a victim.

The Australian Pakistani National Association (APNA) named Tahir as the sole male killed in a post on Facebook on Sunday afternoon.

The APNA said Tahir had moved from Brisbane for work.

"Let us stand together in solidarity, offering support and prayers to those grieving and affected by this heartbreaking loss," the group said in a post on social media.

Dawn Singleton was a lifesaver at Killcare Surf Lifesaving Club on the NSW Central Coast and worked for White Fox Boutique.

"We are all truly devastated by this loss. Dawn was a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her. She was really amazing," the business wrote on social media.

Jade Young, an architect and mother of two, has been named as a victim of the Bondi attack. Photo: Supplied

Jade Young was also a lifesaver, at Bronte Surf Lifesaving Club in Sydney's eastern suburbs, where members were notified of her death on Sunday.

"This is and will be a difficult time for the community, and we encourage you to seek support from family, friends, fellow club members or to speak to your GP to assist you in processing this tragedy," the club wrote on Facebook.

Fifty-five year old Pikria Darchia was an artist/designer who studied business administration at Sydney TAFE and did a degree in performance art at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art in Georgia, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Support being provided for locals

Floral tributes mounted up in Bondi yesterday and hundreds signed a condolence book as Sydneysiders paid their respects to the dead.

NSW Minister of Health Ryan Park said there would be mental health staff at Bondi over the next few days to provide support.

Photo: AFP / David Gray

"People can access mental health support directly through the government," he said on Sunday.

"We don't want people to suffer alone. This is a very, very traumatic event and something many people have not seen or witnessed before and we understand that can have a devastating impact on people's mental health."

NSW Police urged anyone with information on the incident to contact Crimestoppers.

- This story was first publised by ABC.