38-year-old mother dies protecting baby in Sydney mall attack, among 6 fatalities

Australian mother Ash Good suffers fatal injuries in Sydney mall attack, baby daughter in hospital

Six victims are reported to be dead after a man attacked shoppers in a Sydney mall on Saturday (13 April).

One of them is Ash Good, 38, mother to a nine-month-old baby daughter.

She reportedly died after protecting her daughter, who is in hospital with injuries.

Shoppers seen running from man with knife in Sydney mall

On Saturday afternoon, the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement that multiple people had been stabbed at a mall in Sydney.

Emergency services were called to Westfield Bondi Junction at about 3.30pm local time (1.30pm Singapore time).

A video that circulated over the Internet showed shoppers running in panic inside the mall.

They appeared to be running from a lone man wearing a black jersey and shorts who was carrying a large knife in his right hand.

In the video, he appeared to be chasing and lunging at people.

Police officer shoots man & he dies

The incident ended when a police officer, who had responded to the incident, was allegedly confronted by the man.

When he allegedly lunged at her, she shot him.

She performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mother among 6 victims who died in Sydney mall attack

Unfortunately, the man fatally stabbed six people in the mall before he was shot, police said.

One of them was Ms Ash Good, 38, who had been shopping with her baby daughter, reported News.com.au.

Hours before the attacks, she posted photos of her nine-month-old on her Instagram account, which has since been set to private.

Eyewitnesses said she had tried to save her baby when they were both attacked. She was forced to seek help from two strangers, handing the child to them as she was injured herself.

Shoppers reportedly tried to stop the baby’s bleeding using clothes.

Another witness told The Daily Mail that she saw a baby being loaded into an ambulance. The child didn’t appear to be conscious and had bandages on her arm and stomach, she added.

Mother died in hospital after Sydney mall attack

Ms Good and her daughter were rushed to hospital, but the mother died after arriving, News.com.au reported.

The girl was in critical condition and underwent surgery.

She is still in serious condition and is being taken care of by her father and hospital staff.

Police officer who shot attacker hailed as hero

Meanwhile, the police officer who shot the attacker has been hailed as a hero.

She has been identified as Police Inspector Amy Scott, from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command.

Insp Scott happened to be nearby when the alert was received and decided to take on the man alone in the mall, according to News.com.au.

A cafe owner who saw her shooting the man said she told him to drop the knife first, but he lunged at her.

Thus, she had to shoot him and “did it so calmly”, the witness said, professing to be amazed by her actions.

Her bravery was also lauded by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said she entered the scene of the incident despite it being “obviously very dangerous”.

There’s “no doubt that she saved lives”, he added, describing her as “certainly a hero”.

At a press conference, he sent his condolences to victims and their families, saying:

Our nation offers our deepest condolences and sympathies – to all those who are grieving for someone they’ve lost and we send our strength to those who have been injured.

Police don’t believe attack is related to terrorism

In another “live” press conference on Saturday night, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the attacker was a 40-year-old man who acted alone.

The police know “a little bit” about this man, and thus don’t believe that the incident was related to terrorism.

Besides the six victims who died — five women and one man — eight others were also injured, including a nine-month-old baby.

However, Commissioner Webb said there was no suggestion that anyone was specifically targeted.

Also read: 6 people dead after knife attack in Canada home, victims include 2-month-old baby

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Featured image adapted from X and @BUSINESSricardo on X.