Knife-Wielding Man Kills 5 At Sydney Mall; Female Police Officer Eliminates Attacker

Sydney: Five people were killed in a stabbing and shooting incident at a crowded shopping mall here on Saturday afternoon, local media reported.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from Westfield Bondi Junction, near the famous Bondi Beach, after the mayhem, which could be a terrorist incident, though police said it’s too early to say anything specific on the attacker’s identity.

According to police, several others were injured and in “serious and critical condition”, including a small child.

From preliminary inquiries, a lone person, wielding a knife and possessing a gun, was involved in the stabbing and shooting.

The casualties in the attack could have been higher but for a brave female police officer, who confronted the knifeman and shot him dead.

The attack took place around 3.30 pm (local time) and emergency services were called into the mall within 15 minutes after reports of multiple people being stabbed.

Eyewitnesses said they heard shots being fired in the air.

Within hours of the incident, social media was flooded with videos and pictures of the incident, some of which showed people fleeing the mall in panic and police cars and emergency services rushing to the area.

Ellie Williams, an eyewitness, said she was having her lunch at the food court on the top floor of the mall when she saw people running and screaming, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

She said the attacker was wearing a hoodie and had a knife while chasing people.

“People were so confused and we were told a guy was stabbing people on the floors below. People were being locked into stores and we looked down and saw a guy with a knife wearing a hoodie chasing people,” she said.

Another eyewitness said she was about to enter a supermarket at the mall when she saw a man pull out a knife and then open fire.