Featured Image Credit: Family handout/PA/Instagram
Topics: News, World News, Australia, Crime
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: News, World News, Australia, Crime
Police have provided an update on baby girl who was critically injured in the Sydney stabbing tragedy after her mother died protecting her.
Joel Cauchi, 40, went on a stabbing spree at the Westfield Bondi Mall at around 3.30pm local time on Saturday (13 April).
The man, who hailed from Queensland in Australia, went on to kill six people and injured 12 others before being shot dead at the scene by officers.
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New South Wales police Commissioner Karen Webb told ABC News Breakfast that Cauchi primarily 'focused on targeting women'.
She said: "It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to detectives that seems to be an area of interest that the offender focused on women and avoided the men.
"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, close to him.
"So, we can get some insight into what he might have been thinking."
Five women were tragically murdered in the spree, including 38-year-old Ashlee Good, 25-year-old Dawn Singleton, 47-year-old Jade Young, 55-year-old Pikria Darchia, 27-year-old Yixuan Cheng as well as a 30-year-old man named Faraz Tahir.
Several more were wounded, including the baby girl, who was in hospital on Monday (15 April) night after her mother, Good, sadly succumbed to her injuries in hospital after trying to save her daughter's life after being attacked.
Since the horrific ordeal, Good's family has spoken out.
In a statement released over the weekend (14 April), the family said: "[We are] reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all-round outstanding human and so much more.
"We would also like to thank the New South Wales Police for their kindness and diligence in this tragedy and emergency services for getting our baby the care she needed as quickly as possible.
"To the two men who held and cared for our baby when Ashlee could not - words cannot express our gratitude."
It was previously announced that Ashlee's daughter was in critical condition in the ICU after undergoing surgery.
Since then, New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park provided a positive update on the baby girl.
Park shared that the infant's condition had improved, informing the public: "Pleasingly, we have seen the nine-month-old baby in the children's hospital at Randwick have her condition downgraded from critical to serious.
"We hope to have her on a ward over the next few days."
Cauchi's family released a statement shortly after the attack, describing their late son's actions as 'truly horrific', adding they were 'still trying to comprehend what has happened'.