Warning: This article contains descriptions of violence which some readers may find distressing.
People who witnessed the Sydney shopping mall attack carried out by a man armed with a knife have spoken out, recalling the harrowing moment they were told to 'run'.
Yesterday (13 April), a lone knifeman entered the Westfield shopping centre in Bondi, Sydney and began attacking people.
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Six people passed away as a result of the attack and multiple others were injured, including a nine-month-old baby whose mom sadly lost her life.
The man - who has since been identified by police as Joel Cauchi - entered the shopping centre yesterday afternoon, with police called to the area at around 3:30pm (NSW).
Olinder Nemer told the BBC many people first realised something was wrong when they spotted others 'just running' and 'screaming'.
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"At first we didn't know what was happening, so we were running with everyone," the 22-year-old said. "[...] I didn't see him stabbing people, but I saw him running with the knife."
And other eyewitnesses have since come forward to give their experiences too.
Max Barnsley who works in the shopping centre, told ABC News neither he nor his colleagues could 'figure out what [was] going on,' and hid in the back room on the phone to police.
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However, they soon realised the severity of the situation after the panic ensued 'for too long'.
COS clothing store employee Rashdan Aqashah saw the moment a man picked up a bollard to confront the attacker on an escalator - a clip of the terrifying interaction having been shared on social media.
The 19-year-old said: "I saw this one guy fighting with the killer. He was holding the pole, trying to throw a pole at the escalator."
The employee quickly 'grabbed' his manager to 'shut the store door'.
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Another witness named Johnny saw a woman and her baby being attacked - the woman since named as first-time mom 38-year-old Ashlee Good.
The 33-year-old said: "She was getting stabbed. Everyone was in shock [and] didn't know what to do."
He recalled the moment she ran to a store where other shoppers desperately tried to stop the bleeding using clothes.
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Devastatingly, Ashlee passed away from her injuries. Her nine-month-old baby was rushed to hospital and as per Health Minister Ryan Park, has undergone surgery overnight and remains 'in critical condition and in the ICU'.
Another eyewitness heard the sound of a gunshot and thought the killer had a gun opposed to a knife.
They said: "We just ran down the fire escape. I thought I was going to die. I thought we were going to be shot and killed. We thought he had a gun. We didn't know it was a knife."
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Someone else said they heard 'screaming, screaming and it didn't seem that long before we heard 'boom boom boom' of the gunshot,' noting they'd hoped it was the police.
Indeed, the sound of a gun was thankfully the sound of police - an off-duty Inspector from New South Wales Police called Amy Scott - having been in the area and quickly directed to the scene by passersby.
After confronting the knifeman, who is reported by assistant commissioner of New South Wales Police Force Anthony Cooke as having then raised his knife at her, Scott 'discharged a firearm,' killing Cauchi.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has deemed Scott a 'hero' for running 'into danger by herself' and removing 'the threat that was there to other without thinking about the risks to herself'.
He added to reporters earlier today (14 April): "We also see the footage of ordinary Australians putting themselves in harm's way in order to help their fellow citizens.
"That bravery was quite extraordinary that we saw yesterday."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
Topics: Australia, Crime, Police, True crime
Poppy Bilderbeck