A television host has asked a crucial question regarding the fatal stabbing at a Sydney mall.
A suspect identified as Joel Cauchi sent the crowd at Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction into panic on Saturday (April 13) when he began stabbing people with a long blade.
The terrifying incident claimed the lives of five women, named Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashlee Good, 38, and Yixuan Cheng, as well as a 30-year-old male security guard named Faraz Tahir. Several others were also critically injured in the ordeal, including a nine-month-old baby.
The killing spree only ended when the 40-year-old suspect was shot dead at the scene by Inspector Amy Scott.
Authorities have not disclosed the motive behind the attack but police commissioner Karen Webb confirmed investigators would look at whether Cauchi had been focusing on women and children specifically.
"The videos (of the attack) speak for themselves don’t they," Webb said, as cited by CNN. "It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to the detectives that that seems to be an area of interest, that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men.
"We don't know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that's why it's important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him," she added, per BBC News.
Following the tragic event, Sunrise host Matt Shirvington spoke to residents gathered outside the shopping center.
"People [are] asking questions as to why," the interviewer told his colleague Michael Usher, according to Daily Mail. "How can this guy carry a knife into a busy shopping center where we know there is security and just start stabbing people?" he added.
Cauchi was known to police in neighboring Queensland, but he had not been arrested or charged with anything there before Saturday's events.
"We don't fully understand what happened between last month in Queensland and here in NSW, and what sort of treatment he potentially was given, if any at all," Shirvington continued. "So there are questions being asked about that."
The TV host added that people are also questioning whether there was enough security during the brutal attack. "That's the other issue. But that is something that obviously will be further investigated down the track," he added.
The knifeman's father, Andrew Cauchi, spoke out about their son's crimes and said they were "heartbroken" and "extremely sorry" for the victims, per Sky News.
The 76-year-old told reporters his son had battled with mental illness and recently stopped taking his medication. "He's my son. And I'm loving a monster - to you, he's a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy," he said.
"He wanted a girlfriend and he's got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain," Andrew explained when asked about why his son may have targeted women.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.
.png_mLRugh?tr=h-40&config=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)
.jpg_SfgzjI?tr=h-40&config=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)
.png_mLRugh?tr=h-184&config=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)
.jpg_SfgzjI?tr=h-184&config=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)
