The maniac who went on a stabbing spree at an Australian shopping mall Saturday has been identified as a Queensland native who had previous run-ins with police, according to a report.
Joel Cauchi, 40, killed six people — including the daughter of Australian multi-millionaire advertising guru John Singleton — and injured at least a dozen more in the attack at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center, 9News Sydney reported, citing police.
NSW Police are investigating whether Cauchi targeted women but said it was an “obvious line of inquiry.”
Five women and one man — believed to be a security guard trying to stop the knife-wielding attacker — were killed, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.
Eight others injured during the attack were women.
“At this stage, we don’t know a motive. What we do understand, so far, is that there’s no ideological motivation,” Webb said.
Cauchi was “not known criminally” in Queensland but did have run-ins with law enforcement for “mental health-related issues,” Webb added.
Dawn Singleton, 25, was the second victim named during Cauchi’s attack, which began shortly after 3 p.m. local time at the popular mall, according to the outlet.
Singleton graduated from the University of Technology Sydney, where she majored in Digital and Social Media, according to her LinkedIn.
Singleton had worked as an e-commerce assistant at White Fox Boutique before she was senselessly murdered.
She is the oldest daughter of Singleton’s marriage to lawyer Julie Martin, his sixth wife.
Cauchi’s killing spree ended when he was gunned down by a hero cop, Amy Scott — a high-ranking inspector at the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command, according to the outlet.
Australian Prime Minister Anthoney Albanese praised Scott for her bravery as she confronted the knife-wielding attacker.
“She is certainly a hero. There is no doubt that she saved lives,” Albanese told reporters Saturday evening.
One of the victims, Ashlee Good, a 38-year-old mother whose baby was also stabbed during the attack, died at the hospital hours after the stabbing rampage.
Her nine-month-old baby daughter was rushed into surgery and remains in critical condition, according to the outlet.
Good’s family released a statement expressing their grief following Good’s death.
“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 statement obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald reads.
“We appreciate the well-wishes and thoughts of members of the Australian public who have expressed an outpouring of love for Ashlee and our baby girl.”
