Content warning: This article touches on sensitive topics which may be triggering for some readers.
On April 13, 2024, six people were brutally murdered at the Westfield shopping centre located in Bondi Junction.
12 others, including a baby, were also injured during the attack.
All six victims have now been identified:
Ashlee Good, 38
Ashlee Good spent her last moments trying to save her nine-month-old baby daughter, who was also stabbed during the attack.
Her family remembered her as “a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more,” in a heart-wrenching statement.
Ashlee’s family also confirmed that her infant daughter is now “doing well” after hours of surgery.
Dawn Singleton, 25
Dawn Singleton was fatally stabbed just weeks before her wedding. Dawn’s cousin Jade O’Connor penned a heartbreaking tribute to Dawn on Facebook.
“Dawn, I should be writing your wedding speech [but] instead I sit here sobbing coming to terms with how life isn’t fair that you are no longer here,” it read.
“This year you were meant to get married to the love of your life. I’m so broken and [can’t] believe this is reality.”
Dawn, who was the daughter of millionaire businessman John Singleton and lawyer Julie Martin, worked as an e-commerce assistant at White Fox Boutique. The company also shared a tribute on social media.
“Over the weekend we lost not only an employee… but someone special to us who felt like a family member. We are all truly devastated by this loss. Dawn was a sweet, kind hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her.
“She was really amazing [and] she will always be remembered as part of the White Fox family.”
Jade Young, 47
Jade Young was a Sydney architect and mother of two. She was also a member of Bronte Surf Club.
“This is and will be a difficult time for the community,” the club wrote on Facebook.
“We are here to support the community, and our heartfelt condolences go out to everyone affected.”
Pikria Darchia, 55
Pikria Darchia was an artist from Georgia in Eastern Europe and mother of two sons.
Yixuan Cheng, 27
Yixuan Cheng was an international university student. She was studying for a master’s degree in economics at the University of Sydney, according to Chinese media.
Faraz Tahir, 30
After fleeing from Pakistan, Faraz Tahir sought refuge in Australia about a year ago.
According to the Guardian, Faraz was working his first ever shift at Westfield as a security guard when he was fatally stabbed.
What happened during the Bondi Junction Westfield attack?
At 3pm, on Saturday, April 13, Joel Cauchi entered Bondi Junction’s Westfield. He left shortly after but returned at roughly 3.20pm with a knife.
The 40-year-old then began stabbing civilians at random. Police and NSW Ambulance quickly received multiple 000 calls about the attack.
Retail staff began barricading themselves and shoppers in their stores, and an alarm urged people to immediately leave the centre.
Sadly, four women and one man died at the scene – Dawn Singleton, Jade Young, Pikria Darchia, Yixuan Cheng and Faraz Tahir – and several others sustained injuries.
At 3.40pm, officers from the Tactical Operations Unit stormed the Westfield. Then, at 4pm, a lone female police officer, Inspector Amy Scott, shot Cauchi dead.
Those who were injured were then taken to various hospitals across Sydney. Ashlee Good, the sixth victim, sadly died in hospital.
On Sunday, April 14, Cauchi was formally identified as the attacker.
The Queensland man recently moved to NSW and was known to police. Police also shared that they believe Cauchi had schizophrenia.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said to the press, “At this stage, we don’t know a motive. What we do understand, so far, is that there’s no ideological motivation.
“We do understand that there is a history of mental health, but it will be the ongoing work of the investigators to determine what his activities were yesterday and the days before.”
Commissioner Webb was also asked by a reporter:
“Many people have looked at the video footage that has come out over the past day and are wondering, do you believe this man was targeting women?”
To which she replied, “That’s been reported to me as well. And obviously that will be an obvious line of inquiry – and that’s concerning, but that will form part of the investigation.”
A year on from the tragedy, an inquest begins
On April 28, 2025, a year and two weeks on from the tragedy, a coronial inquest into the event has begun. It aims to examine the circumstances surrounding the April 13, 2024, tragedy, where Joel Cauchi fatally stabbed six people and injured several others at Westfield Bondi Junction before being shot dead by police.
Hearings will run until 30 May 2025.
The inquest, presided over by NSW State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, is set to run for five weeks. It will investigate:
- Mental health system failures: Cauchi had a history of schizophrenia diagnosed in 2001, but ceased medication in 2019. By 2024, he was homeless and disconnected from mental health services, raising questions about systemic gaps in care.
- Premeditation evidence: Investigations revealed the perpetrator made several “distressing” online searches related to mass killings and notes indicating planning of an attack.
- Emergency response: The inquest will assess the actions of police, ambulance services, and shopping centre security during the incident, including the response time and coordination among agencies
- Use of force by police: The justification for the lethal force used by Inspector Amy Scott, who confronted and shot the assailant, will be scrutinised.
- Media coverage: The impact of media reporting on the victims’ families will be examined, particularly concerning the dissemination of graphic content.
The inquest proceedings will generally run from 10am to 4pm daily. Select portions, including the opening address and the coroner’s findings, will be live-streamed to ensure public accessibility. Find out more on the website.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
