The man who killed six people in the Bondi Junction stabbing spree has been identified as Joel Cauchi.
Police say Cauchi, 40, who is from the Brisbane area and is understood to have suffered from schizophrenia, moved to Sydney from Queensland a month ago.
There is no suggestion that Cauchi was part of any particular ideology, with police treating the horrific attack as a mental-health related incident.
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.
Joel Cauchi, 40, has been identified as the mass killer in the Bondi Westfield stabbing spree on Saturday
Cauchi killed six people and critically injured nine others, including a nine-month-old baby
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.’
According to his social media profiles, Cauchi grew up in Toowoomba and claimed he worked as an English tutor.
He was a surfing enthusiast and just last week posted in a Sydney Facebook group asking if anyone would like to meet him for a surf in Bondi.
In an profile for seeking shared accommodation, Cauchi said he was looking for a place to live in Sydney’s western’s suburbs in ‘Liverpool, Blacktown, Pendle Hill or Parramatta’.
‘I love meeting new people and seeing new interesting places!’ he wrote about himself.
Pictured: Joel Cauchi in the shopping centre with a knife
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.
He also recently posted in various astronomy groups asking for advice on how to further his knowledge on astrophotography.
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.
Police said Cauchi recently moved to Sydney from Queensland and had mental health issues
Police were called to Bondi Junction Westfield at 3.20pm on Saturday as horrific stabbing spree unfolded in the busy shopping centre on the first day of school holidays.
Footage posted online shows terrified shoppers running through the centre and taking shelter in shops as Cauchi chased after men, women and children brandishing the blade.
Inspector Amy Scott was patrolling nearby and was first on the scene. She entered the shopping centre by herself and bravely ran towards the offender, before shooting him dead when he lunged towards her with the knife.
Five other people – including four women believed to be aged between 20 and 55 and a man, aged in his 30s – who were in the centre, died at the scene. They are yet to be formally identified.
Twelve others – including nine women, two men and a 9-month-old child – suffering stab wounds, were treated by paramedics and taken to various Sydney hospitals.
The 38-year-old mother of the 9-month-old child, osteopath Ashlee Good, was taken to St Vincent’s hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Ashlee Good (pictured with her husband and child) was a new mother
John Singleton’s daughter Dawnie, 25, (pictured) has been named among six people murdered
Her baby daughter underwent emergency surgery last night at Sydney’s Children Hospital in Randwick and is now in a serious but stable condition.
Dawn Singleton, the 25-year-old daughter of multi-millionaire advertising guru John Singleton, has been identified as the second person killed in the attack.
Assistant Commissioner Cooke said there were several other people who were injured in the attack who left Westfield and later presented to medical centres.
Inspector Scott has been hailed as a hero for her actions, with many ns flocking online to praise her incredible bravery.
Assistant Commissioner Cooke said he had spoken to her last night, and she was ‘doing well’.
‘Can I just say how proud we are of the actions of the officer involved,’ he said.
‘She is receiving all of the support that she requires.’
The shopping centre and surrounding streets remain closed on Sunday, while police continue to scour the crime scene for forensic evidence.
Police have launched a critical incident team comprised of homicide detectives and set up Strike Force Mcauley to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The investigation will also be subject to an independent review.
As investigations continue, any witnesses, anyone with information or mobile phone vision who has not yet spoken to police, is urged to call police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police are pictured at the scene on Saturday