SYDNEY — The people killed and wounded by an assailant at a Sydney shopping mall were mostly women.
A police officer shot and killed the man who had attacked people at the busy Westfield Bondi Junction mall, and his family said he had a long history of schizophrenia, lacked social skills and had a fascination with knives. Police said their investigation would include why he targeted women and avoided men during his attack.
Those killed were five women and one man. Twelve people were wounded, and police said they mostly were female.
Here’s some information on those killed.
Friends and family of 38-year-old osteopath Ashlee Good remembered her as a “beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend” and an “all-round outstanding human.”
Good’s 9-month-old daughter was wounded and was in serious but stable condition in a hospital Monday.
Good reportedly passed her baby to two strangers nearby before she lost consciousness. “To the two men who held and cared for our baby when Ashlee could not — words cannot express our gratitude,” the family’s statement read.
Good’s father, Kerry Good, is a former Australian Rules football player and a current board member of the North Melbourne AFL club. In honor of Ashlee, the club wore black armbands in its match on Sunday.
Dawn Singleton was the 25-year-old daughter of well-known businessman John Singleton.
She worked as an e-commerce assistant for a women’s fashion outlet in Sydney, which said in a social media post they had “not only lost an employee but someone special to us who felt like a family member.”
“Dawn was a sweet, kind hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her. She was really amazing,” White Fox Boutique said in an Instagram post.
“We send our love and deepest condolences to her partner, the Singleton family and her friends.”
Singleton’s LinkedIn profile says she was a communications graduate from the University of Technology, Sydney and had worked at the trendy fashion line since 2020.
She was soon to be married to her police officer partner.
The only male killed was Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old Pakistani refugee who worked at the mall as a security guard.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia said Faraz had been in Australia for less than a year and was a “cherished member of our community” and was a dedicated security guard who tragically lost his life while serving the public during this attack.
“He quickly became an integral part of our community, known for his unwavering dedication and kindness,” the organization said in a statement.
It also said Faraz contributed to charitable endeavors supporting Muslim youth in Sydney.
Faraz was credited with trying to stop the attack.
“We are devastated by Faraz’s passing and recognise our team member’s bravery and role as a first responder,” Elliott Rusanow, CEO of the mall owner Scentre Group, said in a statement to Nine News. “Another member of our security team was injured and remains in hospital.”
Jade Young, 47, was a mother of two who had been an architect for more than two decades.
Young lived in Bellevue Hill, an eastern Sydney suburb near the shopping mall, and was a volunteer member of the Bronte Surf Life Saving Club.
“I sadly have to report that a Bronte SLSC member, Jade Young, lost her life during the tragic events in Bondi Junction yesterday,” the club said in a statement to Nine News.
“Some of you might have known Jade as she and her family have been active in youth education.”
Pikria Darchia, 55, was named as the fifth victim late Sunday.
According to Darchia’s profile on professional networking site LinkedIn, she was an artist and had worked as a designer for 10 years in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Prior to that she had finished a masters degree in performance art at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art.
In Australia, she studied business administration. Darchia’s profile said she spoke English, Russian and Georgian.
Further details about her have not been released, and her family has requested privacy.
Yixuan Cheng, a Chinese graduate student, was the final victim to be identified Monday.
Chinese news service Sydney Today reported the 27-year-old was studying for a master’s degree in economics at the University of Sydney.
The report said she had called her fiance in China, who has only been identified as Wang, just minutes before the attack.
“She happily talked to me on the phone at around 3 p.m. She even tried on clothes for me to see,” Wang said.
After the attack, Wang said he had tried to call Cheng “day and night, but there was no contact at all.”
The family spent the next 24 hours watching news of the attack in hope of an update, before receiving the heartbreaking news of her death.
Wang said the pair had planned to marry after Cheng graduated.
Source: abc news
