Shock over what happened at Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday afternoon turned to anger on Sunday when questions were raised about how a man could stab six people to death.
Sunrise host Matt Shirvington told viewers he could feel the mood change as he spoke to locals gathered outside the shopping center about Joel Cauchi’s murderous attack.
‘People [are] asking why,” Shirvington told colleague Michael Usher in the Network Seven studio.
‘How can this guy take a knife into a busy shopping center where we know there is security and start stabbing people?’
Sunrise presenter Matt Shirvington (above) said there were questions to be answered about how lone knifeman Joel Cauchi killed six people at Bondi Junction Westfield. Two security guards were reportedly among those stabbed to death.
Police were called to Bondi Junction Westfield at 3.20pm on Saturday after Cauchi, 40, began chasing men, women and children with a knife.
He stabbed to death four women (believed to be aged between 20 and 55) and a man in his 30s before he was shot dead by the first police officer on the scene, Inspector Amy Scott.
Two of the dead were security guards who were on duty at the time of the attacks.
A fifth woman, Ashlee Good, died from her injuries at the hospital. Dawn Singleton, the 25-year-old daughter of billionaire John Singleton, was among the dead.
Twelve other people, including nine women, two men and Good’s nine-month-old baby Harriet, who suffered stab wounds, were treated by paramedics and taken to various Sydney hospitals.
Cauchi, who had been treated for schizophrenia, moved from Queensland to Sydney just a month ago and was known to police in his home state.
“We don’t fully understand what happened between last month in Queensland and here in New South Wales, and what kind of treatment he potentially received, if any,” Shirvington said.
‘So there are questions being asked about that.
“People are wondering why,” Shirvington told fellow presenter Michael Usher in the Network Seven studio. ‘How can this guy take a knife into a busy shopping center where we know there is security and start stabbing people?’ The police appear on the scene.
‘Questions are also being asked about protocols and whether there was enough security or not. That’s the other question. But that is something that will obviously be investigated further in the future.”
Usher agreed with his colleague that there were questions that needed to be answered about security measures and the management of Cauchi’s mental health.
“I think that’s legitimate,” he said. —I questioned it last night when I saw the whole thing. I mean, nowadays there are security guards everywhere.
Security expert Scott Taylor told Shirvington there would be “many more discussions” about the effectiveness of protective measures in shopping centers after Saturday’s deaths.
Taylor believed Westfield’s sole traders had saved “multiple” lives by locking customers inside their doors and lowering their shutters.
“The actions of the traders were just incredible,” he said.
Cauchi stabbed to death four women – believed to be aged between 20 and 55 – and a man in his 30s before the first police officer to arrive, Inspector Amy Scott, shot him dead.
Taylor said some retail staff would have received training on lockdowns and exercises to spot potential attacks by armed criminals.
“We hope we never have to deal with this kind of thing, but that’s one of the reasons we spend so much time on it,” he said.
“It will spark more conversations and actions. I think it will be beneficial to have more communication and awareness.”
WhatsNew2Day Australia has attempted to contact Westfield owner Scentre Group, whose chief executive Elliott Rusanow issued a brief statement on Saturday night.
“Scentre Group extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by today’s tragedy at Westfield Bondi,” Mr Rusanow said.
‘We extend our deep gratitude for the quick and brave action of our team and first responders.
“Our team continues to provide full support to the NSW emergency services response.”
A woman places flowers at a makeshift shrine formed on the outskirts of Bondi Junction Westfield following Saturday’s mass stabbing.
Bondi Junction Westfield has been the scene of several tragic deaths in recent years.
Retired barber Bernard ‘Butch’ Gore was found dead on a fire escape 21 days after meeting his wife at the mall for lunch in January 2017.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the 71-year-old man, who suffered from dementia, did not suffer any obvious traumatic injuries.
A coroner later found that the “psychological, environmental, and physiological stressors” Gore experienced while trapped inside the ladder were “possibly significant contributors to his death.”
Those factors, along with the “identified deficiencies and insufficiencies associated with the efforts to locate Bernard,” led to the conclusion that Mr. Gore’s death was not entirely due to natural causes, but rather the result of a misadventure.
When Gore couldn’t meet his wife at the mall, she searched for her favorite spots before calling the police.
That night, the couple’s daughter visited Westfield and provided two security officers with information about her father.
CCTV footage was viewed and security officers searched the area of the shopping centre, including lifts, escalators, toilets, dock areas and rubbish rooms, but not fire escapes.
In April 2020, a man fell to his death at Bondi Junction Westfield after jumping over a railing in what police ruled was a suicide.
A month later, another person died after falling through a barrier on the mezzanine.