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On Saturday April 14, 2024, six innocent victims lost their lives at Bondi Junction in a deadly attack by Queensland man Joel Cauchi. Cauchi was shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott on the scene.
12 more victims were brought to hospital, with three reportedly still in critical condition on April 15.
Five of the six victims killed were women. The New South Wales police commissioner told ABC News that it was “obvious” Mr Cauchi focused on women.
“Five of the deceased are women and the majority of victims in hospital are also women. We don’t know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that’s why it’s important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him, were around him and close to him.”
All six victims have now been identified, here’s what we know.
Yixuan Cheng
Yixuan was the final victim to be identified and revealed to the public. She was a 27-year-old Chinese national living in Australia as she attended the University of Sydney.
Per The ABC, NSW Police have said her family have arrived in Australia and have requested privacy, they do not want any details or official images of their daughter released to the media.
Ashlee Good
The first victim to be publicly revealed, 38-year-old Ashlee was attacked alongside her nine-month-old baby.
Ashlee later died in hospital on Saturday evening. Her daughter underwent surgery at Sydney Children’s Hospital and was revealed to be “doing well” afterwards.
“Today we are reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more,” her family said in a statement on Sunday.
Ashlee’s father was Kerry Good, a player and former board member for AFL club North Melbourne.
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson spoke about the tragic loss on Sunday, before the team faced off against Geelong.
“It’s shocking for our club and in particular for the family,” he said. ““Kerry’s been a significant part of our club for a long time. It’s just so sad. That beautiful girl … she’s not going to have a mum. Breaks our heart. It breaks out hearts. Even more, it’s just humanity. This is happening in our country.”
Jade Young
On Sunday afternoon, Jade was revealed as another victim. The 47-year-old was a loving mother of two, an architect and has been honoured as a cherished member of The Bronte Surf Lifesaving Club.
“This is and will be a difficult time for the community, and we encourage you to seek support from family, friends, fellow Club members or to speak to your GP to assist you in processing this tragedy,” the club wrote on Facebook.
“We are here to support the community, and our heartfelt condolences go out to everyone affected.”
Dawn Singleton
Dawn was 25. She was reportedly shopping for makeup for her upcoming wedding to NSW police officer Ashley Wildey when she was attacked at Bondi Junction.
It has been reported by The Daily Telegraph that Mr Wildey had responded to the scene as an on-duty officer before he knew she was one of the victims of the brutal attack.
“He is devastated,” a friend of Mr Wildey told the newspaper. “He is getting a lot of help from NSW Police. They are looking after him.”
Dawn is the daughter of Australian businessmen, John “Singo” Singleton and lawyer Julie Martin.
Dawn worked as an e-commerce assistant for fashion brand White Fox Boutique, who paid tribute to her as a “sweet, kind-hearted person” who was “someone special.”
Faraz Tahir
30-year-old Faraz Tahir, the only man to be killed, was a security guard who tried to intervene. He had reportedly been working at Bondi Junction Westfield for one week.
Elliott Rusanow, Chief Executive Officer of Scentre Group, which owns the Westfield chain of shopping centres, says the company is helping with the travel arrangements for his family. His family have not yet supplied images for media use.
“That is going to take a couple of days, but we are facilitating his family to come and pay their respects as they choose to do,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked the police who responded and paid tribute to those who had died.
“There’s no sense of anything other than randomness,” he told KIIS FM. “People going about their shopping and, in the case of Faraz Tahir, a gentleman who hadn’t been here that long, a refugee from Pakistan who was working as a security guard.”
Pikria Darchia
Pikria is the sixth victim of the deadly attack. She was 55, and was an artist and designer, who had a decree in performance art from the Tbilisi State Academy of Art in Georgia.
Her family, which includes her two sons, shared four photos of her that they wished to be used in reporting.
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