As Australia learns more about those who lost their lives in acts of senseless violence in one of the country’s busiest shopping centres, one thing becomes glaringly apparent: They will all be dearly missed.
The six people who died were going about their business in Bondi Junction’s Westfield shopping centre in Sydney on Saturday afternoon when they were brutally attacked by knife-wielding man, Joel Cauchi.
Videos of chaotic scenes inside the shopping centre show people running in terror, while others try to confront the armed 40-year-old before he was shot dead by a police officer.
Newsletters: Breaking news as it happens. Subscribe now
The man is believed to have acted alone and there is no ongoing threat to the community, police said.
Five of Cauchie’s victims have now been identified. Twelve people, nine of them women, were also injured in the massacre, with some having been released from hospital on Sunday, while others remain in serious conditions.
As authorities face questions about how and why this has happened, the loved ones of the victims are left picking up the pieces as they grapple with unimaginable loss.
From the daughter of a millionaire to a refugee making a new life, these are the victims’ stories.
Ashlee Good
Good, 38, was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition but could not be saved.
She leaves behind a baby daughter, who was also injured in the attack. The little girl’s condition was serious but stable on Sunday, after she underwent surgery.
Good’s family has released a statement, saying they are “struggling to come to terms with what has happened”.
“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,” the family said.
“We appreciated the well wishes and thoughts of members of the Australian public who have expressed an outpouring of love for Ashlee and our baby girl.”
The family thanked bystanders and emergency services who came to the mum and bub’s aid.
Good was the daughter of past VFL player and former North Melbourne board member Kerry Good.
The AFL club has paid tribute, with president Sonja Hood saying the Good family is “incredibly important people in our club’s history and we offer them our love and support through what is an unimaginably difficult time”.
Dawn Singleton
The daughter of Australian rich-lister John Singleton and his ex-wife, lawyer Julie Martin, Dawn Singleton also leaves behind a fiancée.
She was just 25.
Her employer, prominent fashion label White Fox boutique, described her as “someone special to us who felt like a family member”.
“We are all truly devastated by this loss,” White Fox said on social media.
“Dawn was a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her. She was really amazing.
“We send our love and deepest condolences to her partner, the Singleton family and her friends.”
A loved one posted on Facebook that instead of “writing your wedding speech”, she sits “sobbing, coming to terms with how life isn’t fair that you are no longer here”.
“You lit up every room you walked into. This year you were meant to get married to the love of your life, and you were meant to be the Godmother to Baby O,” she said.
“I’m not sure how I am meant to live in a world without you. I’m so broken and cant believe this is reality.
“I love you so much Dawn and I will remember you every day for the rest of my life.”
Jade Young
Young’s family is yet to speak publicly after her death, but have released her photo to media.
A mum and successful architect, her former employer and prominent designer Georgina Wilson shared a heartfelt tribute.
“I can’t even believe I am writing this, it doesn’t feel real,” Wilson wrote on Instagram.
“Jade was part of our GWA (Georgina Wilson Associates) team for over 12 years.
“She was family.
“Anyone who knew Jade knew what a beautiful, kind and warm soul she was.
“We are completely devastated. All our love goes out to her family.
“We love you Jade.”
Her local surf life saving club, Bronte Surf Club, cancelled its Sunday activities due to the tragedy.
“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,” Bronte Surf Club posted on social media.
“We are here to support the community, and our heartfelt condolences go out to everyone affected.”
Faraz Tahir
Faraz arrived in Australia from Pakistan a year ago after seeking refuge from persecution.
He was working as a security guard at Bondi Junction Westfield when he died while trying to stop the attack.
“It is with heavy hearts that we also mourn the loss of Faraz Tahir, a cherished member of our community and a dedicated security guard who tragically lost his life while serving the public during this attack,” the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Australia said in a statement.
The organisation described Faraz as “an integral part of our community, known for his unwavering dedication and kindness”.
“Faraz was not only a valued member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia but also actively contributed to the charitable endeavours of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth organisation,” it said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Faraz’s family and loved ones during this difficult time, as well as with all the other victims and their families affected by this senseless act of violence.
“We extend our deepest condolences and stand in solidarity with the broader community as we come together to support one another in the face of tragedy.”
Pikria Darchia
Pikria Darchia, 55, was revealed to be another of the deceased in a statement from NSW Police, issued on behalf of her family on Sunday night.
Police also shared four photos that Darchia’s family had requested be used in reporting.
It’s believed she has two sons and is originally from Georgia in Eastern Europe.
Yixuan Cheng
The sixth victim of the mass stabbing attack at Bondi Junction was identified on Monday morning.
Yixuan Cheng, aged in her early 20s, was killed in the stabbing spree on Saturday afternoon.
It’s understood she was a Chinese national, studying at a university in Australia.
Killer known to police
The killer has been identified as Queensland man Joel Cauchi, a Queensland native who recently moved to Sydney. He is understood to have been diagnosed with mental health issues as a teenager and had undergone treatment over the years.
He became known to police over the past five years but had never been arrested in Queensland for any criminal offence.
His last interaction with police was in December on the Gold Coast, where he was spoken to by officers on the street.
‘Bollard man’ identified
A brave witness has told of the terrifying moment he came face-to-face with the “empty eyes” of the man behind the mass stabbing at a busy Sydney shopping centre.
Damien Guerot and friend Silas Despreaux confronted the killer with a bollard before helping lead police to the knife-welding man at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday.
Videos of chaotic scenes inside Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday show people running in terror, while others try to confront the armed 40-year-old.
In one video, Guerot can be seen facing off with Cauchi as he blocks the top of an escalator to stop the attacker approaching.
Guerot threatens him with a shopping centre bollard as Cauchi brandishes his knife.
Your cookie settings are preventing this third party content from displaying.
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.
Guerot said he was at the shopping centre to head to the gym with his friend Silas when they heard someone screaming, “There’s a man stabbing people”.
The pair ran to see what was happening and saw Cauchi heading their way.
Running on adrenaline, the friends came across a bollard and sprung into action.
“We just saw him coming ... we were thinking, ‘We need to try to stop him’,” Guerot said.
They followed Cauchi from the floor above until the attacker tried to come up the escalator.
Coming face-to-face with Cauchi for several seconds, Guerot said he was staring into “empty eyes”.
“He wasn’t there,” he said.
“We tried to throw the bollard. We really wanted to stop him.”
Guerot and his friend then followed the crowd outside when they saw inspector Amy Scott arriving and helped lead her to the attacker.
Cauchi lunged at Scott and was shot dead, police said.
While it was confronting to witness, Guerot said it was nothing compared to the horrifying carnage at the hand’s of Cauchi.
“I saw a guy on the floor with a lot of blood, I saw one girl from the balcony get stabbed,” Guerot said.
“She was just walking, she didn’t do anything.”
Despite his efforts, Guerot does not believe he was a hero.
That title is reserved for Scott, he said.
“She was the hero, she did the job. We just did what we did,” he said.
Scott has been praised for her “enormous courage and bravery” by NSW’s top cop and the community.
“It was an awful situation ... but it could have been much worse,” police commissioner Karen Webb said
Shoppers chased killer through Westfield
Three mates who chased an armed man through Westfield Bondi Junction have described the moment the “unhinged” killer’s attack was brought to a grisly end.
Ryan Bramble and his friends Nick and Giorgio were shopping at the Zara store when they heard screaming and running.
Instead of running with the crowd, Ryan said, the trio moved towards the commotion.
“As we’re walking towards the commotion the bloke walks around the corner and he’s just walking casually with a knife,” he told 7NEWS.
“He looked at me and he was only a few metres away, but he hesitated a little bit, kept going, and then a second after that police ran in off the street and she said to me ‘where’s the bloke?’
“I pointed in the direction of him and we all started chasing after him. We chased him up the escalators and for a few hundred metres, and we got to the end and she told him to drop it, she gave him a couple of chances.”
It was then, Ryan said, that Scott shot Cauchi.
Giorgio said that the knifeman could have attacked them but chose to target Scott.
“I was part of the stand-off when he turned around and looked at us all, and looked at her, and he gauged his options and then just ran at her.
“For her to act so quickly, it was just amazing.”
Nick described Cauchi’s appearance as “completely unhinged”.
“When I was in Zara just buying clothes, there was a point where he comes to the front of the shop and just looks at everyone in Zara and kind of threatens them but doesn’t go in,” he said.
“There was a moment where he was just scratching his head with the knife like, nobody was home.
“And at that point, he ran up the escalators and then that’s when the cop came, and before you know it there’s a group of us chasing him all the way around the corner.
“His eyes were black, they were jet black, like he wasn’t there in the head.”
Tributes for victims
Monuments across Victoria have been lit in white as a show of solidarity with the victims of Sunday’s attack.
Flinders Street Station, Federation Square and the National Gallery of Victoria were among locations to be lit up.
At Bondi Junction itself, piles of flowers have been left by mourners and well-wishers.
