The killer who murdered six people at Bondi Junction Westfield’s shopping centre was looking for surfing buddies just days before the massacre.
Six innocent shoppers, including five women and a man, were stabbed to death at Bondi Junction Westfield’s shopping Centre on Saturday at about 3.20pm.
Police identified the knifeman as 40-year-old man Joel Cauchi, who moved to Sydney from Queensland a month ago. He lived with schizophrenia, and police are investigating a potential history of targeting women.
It’s understood Cauchi had a history of being obsessed with knives.
While living with his parents in Toowoomba, south-east Queensland, they became so worried about his fixation they took his knives away from him.
Just six days before the attack, Cauchi invited Sydneysiders to join him for a surf at Bondi Beach in a post shared to a Facebook group for beginner surfers.
Cauchi wrote: ‘Hi I am surfing Bondi this afternoon if anyone wants to meet there for a surf!’
Joel Cauchi, 40, killed six people and critically injured nine others, including a nine-month-old baby, in a stabbing spree at Bondi Junction Westfield’s on Saturday
The post received a barrage of negative reactions moments after police confirmed Cauchi’s identity on Sunday.
In another post, shared in December 2020 to an outdoor adventure Facebook group for Brisbane residents, Cauchi explained he wanted to meet with people who shoot guns.
‘Hi I am looking for groups of people who shoot guns, including handguns, to meet up with, chat with and get to know. Please send me DM if you can help me out! I live in Brisbane by the way,’ Cauchi wrote.
Social media users noticed the alarming post hours after Cauchi was identified by police.
‘Thank goodness you didn’t get your hands on a gun… the devastation you have caused is horrible enough,’ one person wrote.
He also recently posted in various astronomy groups asking if he could tag along with an astrophotographer on a night time adventure so he could learn more about the hobby.
There is no suggestion that Cauchi was part of any particular ideology, with police treating the horrific attack as mental health related.
Police are currently searching through a ‘very small storage facility’ in Sydney that Cauchi rented out shortly after the move.
He was reportedly sleeping rough and had no fixed address.
Six days before the horrific attack, Cauchi invited social media users to join him for a surf at Bondi Beach (pictured)
Cauchi entered the shopping centre brandishing a large knife (pictured). He was shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott
In another post in 2020, Cauchi wanted to meet up with people who shoot guns (pictured)
Cauchi was actively looking for a place to live, having made a profile on Flatmates – an online website for those looking for a shared home.
The 40-year-old was looking for a shared home around Pendle Hill, Blacktown, Paramatta and Liverpool, writing he ‘loves meeting new people and seeing new interesting places’.
Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said detectives have spoken to his family who have been helping police with their investigation.
‘There is still, to this point … no information we have received, no evidence we have recovered, no intelligence that we have gathered that would suggest that this was driven by any particular motivation – ideology or otherwise,’ Assistant Commissioner Cooke told reporters on Sunday.
‘We are continuing to work through the profiling of the offender but very clearly to us at this stage it would appear that this is related to the mental health of the individual involved.’
Assistant Commissioner Cooke said police are still working to determine how Cauchi came into possession of the weapon, which has been described by witnesses as a 30-cm hunting knife.
The 40-year-old had moved to Sydney from Brisbane and was reportedly sleeping rough, with no fixed address. He was actively looking for a place to stay, having shared a profile of himself to an online website for those looking for flatmates (pictured)
Police were called to Bondi Junction Westfield at 3.20pm on Saturday as the attack unfolded.
Footage shared online showed terrified shoppers running through the centre and taking shelter in stores as Cauchi chases after men, women and children.
Cauchi, who was brandishing the blade, fatally stabbed six people, including 38-year-old mum Ashlee Good and multi-millionaire advertising guru John Singleton’s daughter Dawn.
Five of the victims– including Ms Singleton, three other women believed to be aged between 20 and 55 and a man, aged in his 30s – died at the scene.
Twelve others – including Ms Good, her nine-month-old daughter Harriet, eight other women, and two men – suffering stab wounds, were treated by paramedics and taken to various Sydney hospitals.
Ms Good later died at St Vincent’s Hospital while her daughter underwent emergency surgery at Sydney’s Children’s Hospital in Randwick, where she is now in a serious but stable condition.
Inspector Amy Scott was patrolling nearby and was first on the scene and has been hailed as a hero and praised for her bravery.
Inspector Scott entered the shopping centre by herself and sprinted through the top level of the complex, before risking her life and confronting Cauchi.
Cauchi lunged at Inspector Scott, who shot him dead.
The senior police officer performed CPR on the killer, along with other victims lying on the ground in nearby stores as she waited for back-up to arrive.
Inspector Scott is ‘doing well under the circumstances,’ NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said on Saturday evening.
She will be formally interviewed as part of the investigation into the deadly stabbings.
READ MORE: Bondi Junction Westfield stabbing: Sky News reporter remembers murdered mother Ash Good
