Seven people have been killed following a frightening stabbing incident at the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping center in Sydney on Saturday afternoon. The knifeman was shot dead by a heroic police officer but not before he killed six innocent shoppers, including five women, a man and a young child.
Eight other people were transported to the hospital with stab wounds, including a nine-month-old baby. The 38-year-old mother of the baby was also stabbed and succumbed to her injuries in the hospital on Saturday evening. Authorities received a call around 3:30 p.m. local time of a knife-wielding man attacking people at Westfield Bondi Junction, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said.
Shoppers Under Attack
Video footage obtained by 9News Sydney showed the suspect, clad in a gold and green rugby jersey and shorts, wielding a long knife and advancing toward several alarmed shoppers. The footage also captured hundreds of people fleeing for the exits of the mall during the stabbing rampage.
Cooke said at a press conference that around 3:10 p.m., the suspect "moved through the center" in a group of approximately "nine people" within the mall and launched his attack, inflicting "harm to those people we believe by stabbing them."
The knifeman, believed to be 40 years old, initially left the mall only to return after a while.
At around 3:20 p.m., the assailant returned and carried out multiple stabbings, resulting in the deaths of six shoppers, comprising five women and one man.
Shocking footage captured the man, wearing a Kangaroos jersey representing the Australian rugby league team, running through the center armed with a large knife.
A senior female officer immediately jumped into action and chased the man on the top level of the center.
When he turned to confront her and raised his knife, she fired her gun, killing the offender. The attacker died at the scene despite the officer's attempts to resuscitate him through CPR.
Shocking Scenes
Witnesses recounted seeking refuge in nearby stores for approximately 30 minutes before the harrowing ordeal concluded. One woman present said she saw paramedics in tears following the traumatizing event.
NSW Police assured the community that the attacker had acted alone and said that there was no ongoing threat. While the attacker has yet to be formally identified, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb confirmed that he was known to law enforcement.
Authorities said that the attack is not believed to be linked to terrorism.
A 38-year-old mother, whose 9-month-old baby was also injured in the attack, tragically died at the hospital hours later, 9News Sydney reported. The baby's current condition remains unknown.
Two witnesses recounted to 9News Sydney how they intervened to assist the helpless baby after the suspect had also stabbed the child's mother.
"The mom got stabbed, and the mom came over with the baby and threw it at me, and I was holding the baby," one of the men told the outlet.
The two men recounted that they immediately began applying pressure to the baby and the mother's wounds to stem the bleeding.
"There's a lot of blood on the floor... I hope the baby is alright," they said.
As a precaution, the shopping center has been closed and will remain shuttered on Sunday.
