The man who murdered six people at a busy shopping center was a teacher-turned-male escort known to authorities because of his previous concerning behavior, including his unusual interest in knives.
“The attacker was identified as Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old man who was sleeping rough after moving from Queensland to Sydney where he was shot dead on Saturday.
In a statement released Sunday, his parents Andrew and Michele called their son’s actions “truly horrific.”
“We are absolutely devastated by the traumatic events in Sydney yesterday,” they said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those still undergoing treatment at this time.
“We are in contact with NSW Police and the Queensland Police Service and have no issues with the officer who shot our son as she was only doing her job to protect others and we hope she came out well. »
Inspector Amy Scott shot Cauchi after he lunged at her with the knife he had previously used to injure 17 people inside Westfield in Bondi Junction – including a little girl who was pushed by his mother, Dr. Ashlee Good.
Dr Good, an osteopath remembered by his family as an “exceptional human in every way”, died in hospital on Saturday evening. Her daughter remained hospitalized Sunday after undergoing surgery.
“Five other victims – four women and a security guard – were killed inside the mall.
They include architect Jade Young, 47, and Dawn Singleton, 25, who worked as an e-commerce assistant and daughter of millionaire businessman John Singleton.
Faraz Tahir, 30, from Pakistan, was on his first shift at Westfield when he was fatally stabbed.
Cauchi’s family contacted police after seeing news footage of the attacker, who police said only occasionally “sent text messages to his mother letting her know where he was.” found.”
As Australians recovered from these deaths, questions turned to the man’s motivations and his past interactions with authorities and psychiatrists.
Anthony Cooke, assistant commissioner of the New South Wales Police, said: “There is still nothing – no information that we have received, no evidence that we have recovered, no intelligence that we have collected – that suggests whether this was motivated by this decision. by a particular motivation, ideology or other.
Cauchi had no criminal record. But he was known to police and government health agencies due to periods of alarming behavior since he was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17.
Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Roger Lowe said officers in the state last recorded an interaction with Cauchi during a routine check on the Gold Coast in December.
In another incident, police were called to his home in 2023 after he had an argument with his family. Cauchi was in possession of knives and had alleged that his family mistreated him by trying to take them away, the Courier Mail newspaper reported.
A man who owns a knife sharpening business said that about three years ago, Cauchi asked the company to sharpen his two “everyday knives.”
“Which I found odd,” the owner told the Guardian. “He was neither a chef nor a butcher.”
Cauchi tried to arrange meetings with people who like to “shoot guns,” social media posts show. Unemployed and wandering between hostels, Cauchi had turned to online sex websites to advertise his male escort services.
But none of his recent online activities have raised alarms with authorities. In a backpacking group, he asked other travelers to join him on a road trip exploring New South Wales.
“In April he put out a call to go surfing at the famous Bondi Beach.
It was in Bondi on Saturday that Cauchi stopped to have his last meal in a Vietnamese restaurant, at 10am.
“But he seemed “confused,” staff reported, and had no money to pay. He came back at noon to buy a red curry with rice.
At around 3:30 p.m., he pulled a knife from his backpack and committed one of the most devastating crimes in recent Australian history.
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