Australian police are investigating the actions of Joel Cauchi, a lone assailant who stabbed six people to death and injured more than a dozen others in a Sydney shopping mall. Cauchi specifically targeted women with a 30 centimeter knife, while avoiding men. Police Commissioner Karen Webb stated that they have ruled out terrorism and are focusing on Cauchi’s history of mental illness as a possible motive for the attack. Cauchi’s father, Andrew, blamed his son’s frustration at not having a girlfriend for the rampage.
The only male killed in the attack was Faraz Tahir, a security guard at the mall who was not armed. Most of the victims who survived their wounds were also women. Police have notified the families of the victims, including individuals from Pakistan and China. Eight victims remain hospitalized, including a 9-month-old baby whose condition has improved from critical to serious. Webb stated that the evidence will be provided to a coroner to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Andrew Cauchi revealed that his son had a fascination with knives and suffered from schizophrenia. He had confiscated five U.S. military combat knives from his son out of fear that they would be used for violence. Cauchi had expressed concerns about his safety to police, stating that he felt he might be killed by his own son in their home. Michele Cauchi, the killer’s mother, described the rampage as the “absolute worst nightmare” for any parent of a mentally ill child.
A day of national mourning was declared in Australia to honor the victims of the attack. Flags on government buildings were flown at half-staff and a black ribbon was displayed on the Sydney Opera House. The police officer who shot and killed Cauchi, Insp. Amy Scott, is set to be interviewed by detectives. The mall where the attack occurred has not yet announced when it will reopen for business. The police are working to determine the full extent of Cauchi’s motive and actions leading up to the tragic event.
