BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaAustralia PM hails cop who shot Sydney attacker as ‘a hero’Published8 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Mass casualty attacks are rare in Australia and the events in Bondi Junction have shocked the nationBy Hannah RitchieBBC NewsAn Australian police officer has been hailed as a hero by the country’s prime minister, after she confronted and shot dead a man who fatally stabbed six people at a Sydney shopping centre. “There is no doubt that she saved lives,” PM Anthony Albanese said, calling Saturday’s attack “a horrific act of violence”. Police described how the unnamed officer bravely tracked the attacker through the mall, challenged him and shot him dead after he raised his knife towards her.Knifeman rampaged through Sydney mall as shoppers ran for their lives”A man walked into Westfield at Bondi Junction… as he moved through the centre he engaged with about nine people,” Anthony Cooke, assistant commissioner of New South Wales Police, said.”It is clear that during that engagement he caused harm to those people… stabbing them with a weapon he was carrying.”Very clearly a range of reports were made on the incident, police attended promptly – a single unit officer, inspector of police, was nearby, attended, and went into the centre directed by a range of people.”She confronted the offender who had moved, by this stage, to level five.”As she continued to walk quickly behind to catch up with him he turned to face her, raised a knife, she discharged a firearm and that person is now deceased.”Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The female officer – not pictured here – was directed by shoppers to the fifth floor of the Westfield complexA shopper, who was not named, also described the moment the officer confronted the knifeman.”He just started floating towards us and all I heard was ‘put it down’ and then she shot him,” he told ABC News Australia.”But we were in no doubt, if she didn’t shoot him, he would have kept going. He was on the rampage.”Then she walked over and gave him CPR. He had a big blade on him – she chucked the knife away. He looked like he was on a killing spree.”‘People who wear uniform rush to danger’Eight victims, including a nine-month-old, remain in hospital after the rampage.The baby is receiving surgery and its mother is believed to be among the dead, according to local media. Police have confirmed that five of the six killed in the attack were women. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Video shows Sydney stabbing attack suspect in mallThe female inspector had been in Bondi Junction conducting routine duties when she heard reports of the events unfolding.She was the first on scene, police say, and was quickly directed by shoppers to the fifth floor of the complex. Mr Albanese later described it as “a reminder that those people who wear uniform are people who rush to danger, not away from it”.The head of the state’s police force, Karen Webb, also commended the officer’s “enormous courage” and said she was now “doing well under the circumstances”. While little has been made public about the assailant or his motives, police have confirmed that the 40-year-old was known to them. Bondi Junction, which is down the road from the iconic beachside suburb of Bondi, is home to one of the most popular shopping districts in Australia. And like most Saturdays it had been packed with visitors, including families and young children, when reports of a lone attacker carrying a “massive” knife spread like wildfire. As people began to blockade themselves in shops and run for cover, some tried to hold off the assailant. “I saw this one guy fighting with the killer. He was holding the pole, trying to throw a pole at the escalator,” 19-year-old Rashdan Aqashah – who was working in a COS clothing store at the time – told the BBC. Footage appearing to capture the incident has since attracted thousands of views. Mr Albanese said that the way everyday Australians responded to the violence in Bondi Junction, whether running towards it or helping to stem the bleeding of victims, was a testament to their “humanity” and “heroism”. Additional reporting by Katy Watson in Sydney Have you been affected by this story? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSayUpload pictures or videoPlease read our terms & conditions and privacy policy If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. Related TopicsSydneyAustraliaMore on this story’I saw him running with the knife’: Witnesses tell of Sydney stabbing horrorPublished9 hours agoTop StoriesLive. Lyse Doucet: World waits to see impact of unprecedented attackIsrael says its defences in action as Iran attacksPublished10 minutes agoSydney knife attacker identified by policePublished33 minutes agoFeaturesThe trafficked war babies looking for their long-lost familiesWorld watches nervously to see what Iran does nextUkraine could face defeat in 2024. Here’s how that might lookDifficult hunt for 12 impartial jurors to sit on historic Trump trialListen: The Liz Truss Memoir. AudioListen: The Liz Truss MemoirAttributionSoundsThe children living between starvation and deathHow Zendaya perfected ‘method dressing’Facing disaster – the Forest fans at HillsboroughAttributionSportSun, smoke and sport: Photos of the weekElsewhere on the BBC’She was the right side of cheeky’Dua Lipa makes a surprise visit to her old schoolAttributioniPlayerFrom the largest ship to disasters on deck…A closer look at times when cruise ships have caused commotionAttributioniPlayerThese adorable mice love Sir David AttenboroughThey bond over Planet Earth III and mountains of poo!AttributioniPlayerRobin Williams: from iconic shots to private snapsTen defining pictures throw a unique lens onto an extraordinary lifeAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Israel says its defences in action as Iran attacks2Sydney knife attacker identified by police3Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay’s £13m pub4’She is a hero’: Australia PM hails cop who shot attacker5Why did all the Little Chefs disappear?6How Zendaya perfected ‘method dressing’7Five arrested after baby’s remains found8Longstanding Tory MP to stand down at next election9Are Rayner’s troubles a sign of what’s to come for Labour?10Bates looking at Post Office private prosecutions

• newsinsightplus.com
Blog
• April 14, 2024
• 0 Comments