Steph Deschamps / April 14, 2024
A knife attack killed six people and injured several others, including a 9-month-old baby, in a crowded shopping mall in Sydney on Saturday, sparking alarm from King Charles III and Pope Francis among others.
Karen Webb, a New South Wales state police officer, said the victims included five women and one man. An injured nine-month-old baby required emergency surgery.
Eight injured, including the baby, were taken to hospital. "They all have traumatic injuries," said a spokesman for the New South Wales State Emergency Services. According to police, the assailant appears to be a 40-year-old man already known to police and the law, but he has not yet been formally identified.
The injured baby owes his life to his mother, Ashlee, 38, who lost her life protecting him. A mall employee witnessed the terrible scene. "She screamed really loud. She was running back and forth and didn't know what to do. She came back to the stroller and picked up her baby, she had blood all over her back. I'll never forget her scream. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen," he tells Nine News.