It has been a few days since the knife killing at the Sydney mall, which left six dead and 12 injured, including two Chinese students, and the killer has been killed on the spot. In the past few days, more details have been revealed.
(The first 5 victims to be identified)
During the incident, many witnesses recounted their experiences, and the last of the six victims was identified: a Chinese student......
(Source: @今日澳洲, @9news)
The bloody violence took place at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
It is a very popular waterfront business district, attracting many tourists to hang out and shop, and it is also a popular place for locals to meet, watch movies and shop.
However, as recently as last Saturday afternoon, a sudden violent attack plunged the busy shopping mall into chaos and panic.
In the midst of the bustling crowd, a 40-year-old man suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed a passerby next to him. Suddenly, the people around them screamed and fled in all directions.
He started the murder from the fourth floor of the mall, and after killing many people, he ran to the escalator, preparing to expand the scope of the murder.
In this critical moment, Damien Gero, a construction worker from France, showed extraordinary courage.
- He was on his way to the gym with his friends, but he was accidentally confronted by an assailant who was walking on the stairs.
Gero quickly picked up a retractable guardrail, yelled "Don't come here", and bravely confronted him head-on on the stairs, successfully forcing the frenzied knife-wielding assailants back.
(Two passers-by who stop the murderer)
At the same time, Amy Scott, a female patrol officer who was on a routine mission nearby, learned of the situation and immediately rushed to the scene on the fifth floor where the murderer had run.
She decisively ordered him to lay down his arms and give up resistance, but the gangster did not say a word, seemed to have made up his mind, and even rushed towards the police with a knife. The female police officer immediately made a decision and fired several shots at the gangster, killing him instantly.
According to Ms. Hong, a Chinese tourist who was shopping at the time:
"Suddenly I heard a scream, and then I saw people running outside, and we quickly ran out of the store and saw some people watching by the railing.
I saw a woman on the third floor lying in a pool of blood from above, with a chest injury, and several passers-by were helping her with first aid and phone calls. ”
She was watching the crowd flee in panic and confusion when someone alerted her in Chinese to someone who was attacking with a knife and told her to immediately hide in the nearest store.
She had just taken refuge in the store, and within a minute, a dense burst of gunfire rang out inside the mall - the policewoman shot the gangster dead.
The evacuees in the store waited for about half an hour before they were evacuated in an orderly manner under the protection and command of the police.
When Ms. Hung walked out of the gate, she really felt the gravity of the situation: the entire mall was surrounded by police cars, ambulances and helicopters, and the scene was extremely tense.
According to authorities, the perpetrator, Joel Cauchi, killed six people and injured at least 11 others, including a nine-month-old baby girl, according to authorities.
This is the deadliest violent incident in Australia since 2017.
Among the six victims was 25-year-old Dawn Singleton.
She is the daughter of John Singleton, a famous Australian billionaire. Dawn was originally going to marry his childhood sweetheart's police boyfriend this year, and just bought a wedding dress a few days ago and started sending invitations.
At the time of the murder, Dawn was shopping for cosmetics for the wedding at Chanel, and her fiancé happened to be out of the police, but heard the news of his fiancée's murder at the scene. He was then taken away from the scene by his colleagues, and it is hard to imagine how much of a shock he suffered.
Jade Young, 47, is a mother of two daughters, an architect and an active member of the Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.
Fifty-five-year-old Pikria Dalcia is an artist and designer.
Ashley Goode, 38, recently became a mother, when she was shopping with her 9-month-old daughter in her arms, and when she met the killer, she desperately tried to protect her child.
Eventually, the baby girl was in good condition after undergoing surgery despite being severely injured by the stab wounds, while the mother died in the hospital from her injuries.
Faraz Tahir, 30, is a security guard at a shopping mall and is originally from Pakistan. He came to Australia through a refugee program after the pandemic, both of his parents died. Despite his poor English skills, he was looking for a job and signed up for a security training course.
A few weeks ago, he excitedly told his cousin that he had finally gotten his security license and found a new job, marking a new beginning in his life in a foreign land. ...... Then, on his first day on the job, he was killed for saving people.
And on Sunday, the heart-wrenching news came again that the identity of the sixth victim was finally confirmed as a Chinese student, Yixuan Cheng.
Ms. Cheng is a native of Anhui Province and is studying for a master's degree at the University of Sydney. On the afternoon of the incident, she went to the shopping mall alone. A few minutes before the attack, she was chatting with her boyfriend in China and asking him to help buy new clothes.
(Photo source@Australia Today)
After learning of the knife wounding incident in the mall, her boyfriend was so anxious that he tried to contact her, but there was no news. Ms. Cheng's family was also anxious, and posted a post on the Internet "Looking for a Chinese female student who went missing in the Sydney slashing case", which went viral.
In the end, however, they got only the most heartbreaking news. They were contacted by the Chinese embassy and confirmed the tragic death of Ms. Cheng......
At present, Ms. Cheng's family has travelled to Australia with the assistance of the Chinese Embassy. At the same time, the Australian authorities have begun a thorough investigation into the killers.
The killer's name is Joel Cauch, 40, from Queensland, who has only recently moved to Sydney.
According to the police investigation, Cauchi has suffered from schizophrenia since he was a teenager and has a history of drug abuse, and has been wandering around for several years. At the same time, he has been providing paid sexual services since last year, having registered his information on several male escort websites.
In his self-introduction, he described himself as a "handsome 39-year-old athletic man" living in Sydney and claimed that he could offer dozens of sexual services.
But in reality, unlike the glitz and glamour of his self-introduction, he has been living in a fixed place, sleeping in his car or in a backpacker hotel.
A month before the crime, he rented a small storage room and stored his personal belongings, including a surfboard.
Last week, he posted in a Facebook group in Sydney asking if anyone would like to go surfing with him.
His parents were not in contact with him very often, they learned about it through television news and subsequently contacted the police.
(The murderer's parents are both in their 70s)
They expressed shock and condemnation of their son's actions, while praying for the victim and expressing gratitude to the female police officer who handled the incident:
"We have been in contact with the NSW Police Force and the Queensland Police Service and we have no objection to the female officer who shot and killed our son because she was just doing her duty to protect others. We hope she can handle it well. ”
Preliminary investigations indicate that the killer appears to have committed the crime alone, and no further threats have been identified at this time.
The NSW Police Commissioner said the attack was linked to the killer's mental health and that the specific motive was unclear, but there was no indication that it was a hate-based crime or linked to terrorism.
However, it is worth noting that except for the security guard, who unfortunately died trying to save people, the remaining five victims were all women.
The police chief said:
"The focus of criminals on women and the avoidance of men is obviously something to be concerned about. We don't know what the criminal was thinking at the time, so the detectives now spend a lot of time interviewing people who knew him, were close to him, and were close to him. So we can get an idea of what he might have been thinking at the time. ”
In the wake of the violence that shocked the world, many Australians have begun to revisit and re-discuss policies on mental health and public safety. Many are calling for greater early recognition and treatment of mental illness, as well as safety measures in public places.
In the case of Joel Cauci, further police investigation may reveal more information and motives about his past, but it will not restore the lives that have been lost.
Now, I only hope that Australia can intervene through various adjustments to prevent similar unfortunate events from happening in the future......
愿受害者安息，R.I.P......