KILLER’S KIN REEL
The parents of the maniac behind the Australian mall massacre called their son’s savagery “truly horrific” Sunday and praised the cop who gunned him down — as it surfaced his six dead victims included the daughter of a multimillionaire.
Joel Cauchi, 40, launched his deadly stabbing rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction outside Sydney Saturday before he was shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott, according to New South Wales Police.
‘Trying to comprehend’
His victims were Dawn Singleton, 25, the daughter of Australian wealthy advertising guru John Singleton; Pikria Darchia, a 55year-old artist and designer; osteopath Ashlee Good, 38; security guard Faraz Tahir, 30; architect Jade Young, 47; and Yixuan Cheng, a 24-year-old Chinese national studying in Australia.
Cauchi’s parents, Andrew and Michele, condemned their son for carrying out the deadliest mass-casualty attack in the nation in years.
“We are absolutely devastated by the traumatic events that occurred in Sydney yesterday,” they said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those still undergoing treatment.
“Joel’s actions were truly horrific and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened. He has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.”
Cauchi’s parents also sent Scott warm wishes and said they had “no issue” with her taking the action that led to his death.
Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Roger Lowe said their investigation has turned up no motive. NSW Police are investigating whether Cauchi targeted women but said it was an “obvious line of inquiry.” Eight others injured during the attack were women.
Cauchi’s attack began shortly after 3 p.m. at the popular suburban mall.
Dawn Singleton, the oldest daughter from her father’s sixth marriage, was newly engaged to a police officer and had bought her wedding dress days before, according to Leading Britain’s Conversation. Good died after trying to protect her 9-month-old daughter Harriet, and thrusting the baby into the arms of a stranger.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who went to school with Good’s partner Daniel Flanagan, said it was “incomprehensible” that the family had been so “aggressively affected” by the attack. Good was the daughter of former Australian Football League player Kerry Good, whose team North Melbourne reportedly wore black armbands in her memory during its Sunday match. Tahir was a security guard at the shopping center and a “cherished member of ” the Ahmadiyya Muslim community of Australia, the group said in a statement.
“Faraz Tahir, aged 30, sought refuge in Australia just a year ago, fleeing persecution in his home country of Pakistan,” the statement read.
Westfield’s management company said that Tahir died while trying to protect mall patrons.
Young, a mother-of-two, worked at Georgina Wilson Associates in Double Bay, with a focus on highend real estate, while Darchia worked for 10 years as a senior designer at Pontolac in Tbilisi, Georgia, according to her LinkedIn page.
Harriet and seven other victims remained hospitalized Sunday.
Schizophrenia
Mass-casualty events are rare in Australia, partially due to its strict gun and knife laws.
Cauchi suffered from schizophrenia, which recently worsened, and had been sleeping in a vehicle or at a hostel after moving to North South Wales, his parents told police.
He solicited work on male escort websites, according to the Daily Mail, and reviewed knives, strip clubs and brothels online, Newshub reported.