Multiple deaths in mall stabbing spree
A mall in Sydney’s eastern suburbs was locked down last night amid reports of multiple stabbings and a possible shooting.
By early evening, up to six people were said to be dead after the stabbing spree at Bondi Junction shopping centre.
“Many more” are in a critical condition, a police source not authorised to speak publicly said.
Police had shot one person, but there were mixed reports on whether the shot was fatal.
The elite Tactical Operations Unit was on scene.
The incident unfolded just before 4pm (local time), when police confirmed emergency services were called to the Westfield mall following reports of multiple people stabbed.
People were urged to avoid the area. “Inquiries are continuing in relation to the incident and there are no further details,” police said.
Two men spoke to Nine News about helping a baby and its mother who were both bleeding. The pair, who indicated they were brothers, said they saw a man “run up to the woman with the baby”.
“We got them into the store ... rang for help,” one of the men said.
The men said the baby’s mother had been stabbed, and they were trying to compress the baby’s wounds, including using shirts from the shop.
Video has emerged of a man wearing shorts and a sports jersey jogging inside the shopping centre, carrying a knife.
An eyewitness who had been near a gym at the shopping centre saw the man, and
told Nine he looked “scattered and chaotic”.
“He wasn’t going for anyone personally. You could tell it looked quite random. He was just running around with his knife,” the man told Nine News.
“We had also seen people with bollards I think who were going to chase him, so it sometimes wasn’t clear who was a bad person. Then we saw the guy with a knife and we thought are they trying to stop him, are they part of that crew, is it more than one person – but it’s not clear in that moment.”
Multiple posts on social media showed crowds fleeing as emergency services swarmed the centre.
Images and video posted to social media showed at least seven ambulances and six
police cars outside the shopping centre.
New South Wales police confirmed there was a police operation happening at the shopping centre.
A witness said she was about to go into Coles in Bondi Junction when she saw a man pull out a knife first and then opened fire.
“I looked up and bolted,” the witness said.
Ted Helliar posted on social media platform X that “something just went down at Westfield Bondi Junction. We were up there and all of a sudden all these people running towards us. Next thing dozens and dozens of people all running a screaming some bloke yells ‘Someone is stabbing, everyone get out of here’.”