Trigger warning: mass stabbing, death
A mother died after handing her injured baby to strangers during a stabbing spree in Sydney, Australia, that occurred on Saturday (April 13), leaving six dead and several injured. She has since been acknowledged as the first victim of the tragic attack.
38-year-old Ash Good lost her life after being transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital in critical condition on the evening of Saturday, succumbing to her stab wounds sustained at Westfield Bondi Junction, a six-level shopping center.
Good managed to find the time and strength to thrust her injured baby into the arms of two strangers and beg them to save the child’s life.
Two witnesses who spoke to 9News said she handed them her baby and begged them to help her before they were taken to an ambulance. “The baby got stabbed,” the witness reportedly said at the time.
The witness and his brother reportedly said they helped compress the mom and baby’s wounds before they were taken to paramedics.
Image credits: gofundme
“The mom got stabbed, and the mom came over with the baby and threw it at me and [I] was holding the baby,” he told the local station.
The witness described their injuries as “very bad” and said, “There was a lot of blood on the floor.”
Reese Colmenares was among 20 others who hid in a hardware store when people started running out of the mall, including the mother and her baby, as per Fox News.
“The mother was terrified, the mother was sad, just holding [and] comforting the baby,” Colmenares told Reuters.
Sky News anchor Laura Jayes revealed live on air that she had known the mother, though she did not identify the victim by name.
Nine-month-old Harriet is currently being treated at the cardiac intensive care unit at Sydney Children’s Hospital
Image credits: 9 News Australia
While covering the mass stabbing, Jayes said Good was a “mother in the prime of her life.”
She continued: “She has a beautiful circle of friends. She’s a beautiful woman.
“She was an incredible athlete. And she had the world at her feet. She got married in recent years.
“Her family are on their way — rushing here now. So many family and friends wanted to be at the hospital this afternoon, they had to take turns going in and out of the waiting room.
“Her baby went into surgery, and her mum didn’t make it.
“That is really hard news to take.”
“She was an incredible athlete. And she had the world at her feet,” a news anchor who knew Good announced
Image credits: 9 News Australia
Jayes reportedly fought back tears while anchoring, describing Good’s brave final moments as she said: “If you have a new baby like that, a nine-month-old, you are still well and truly in the newborn phase. You are with that baby all the time.
“And for her, I can’t imagine her needing to hand over the most precious thing in her life.”
She continued: “As I say, she’s one of those all-rounders. She was an incredible athlete, so smart, so beautiful, and she was just so excited to be a new mother.
“And all of that was ripped away in seconds, here, this afternoon.”
40-year-old Joel Cauchi from Toowoomba, Queensland, was identified as the stabber. He was fatally shot by a police inspector
Image credits: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
According to 1News, five women – including Good – and one man were killed at Westfield Bondi Junction. Moreover, Harriet is among 12 seriously injured victims who survived the attack.
Australia Minister for Health Ryan Park said over the weekend that the country had been “holding its breath” hoping for a positive update on the baby’s condition.
He confirmed at the time that Harriet had been moved from critical to serious condition, saying: “That is a big change and a significant improvement.
“What we hope to do is to be able to get that baby on the ward in the coming days.
“That would be a great outcome.”
Park reportedly added the baby’s father and family were receiving “significant support” and it was pleasing to share the baby’s condition had improved over the last 12 hours.
The minister also confirmed eight people remained in hospital as a result of the attack, ranging from stable to serious conditions, 1News reported.
Five women – including Good – and one man were killed at Westfield Bondi Junction
Image credits: Sky News Australia
A fundraiser set up on GoFundMe was created by Steve Foxwell, the general manager of Isagenix Australia and NZ, a company that Good worked with over the years.
So far, AUS$201,257 has been raised for “the benefit of Dan (Good’s partner) and Harriet to give them the freedom to go forward into the future without financial burden or worry.”
According to an update shared on Monday (April 15), Harriet currently remains in the cardiac intensive care unit at Sydney Children’s Hospital.
40-year-old Joel Cauchi from Toowoomba, Queensland, was identified as the stabber. He was fatally shot by a police inspector.
According to the New South Wales Police Force, Cauchi entered Westfield Bondi Junction at around 3:10 pm AEST wearing a sports jersey, allegedly leaving the center before returning 10 minutes later with a knife.
Eyewitnesses said that he was behaving erratically, and video clips from security cameras and bystanders filming showed him lunging at some shoppers with his weapon while ignoring others.
Cauchi’s family contacted the police after recognizing him on the news. The police subsequently learned that the man was homeless, single with no children, and suffered from mental health issues, with investigators stating that he was believed to have been schizophrenic.
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