A dying mother who pushed her injured baby into the arms of two strangers and begged them to save her child’s life has become the first Sydney stabbing victim to be identified.
Ash Goode, 38, died in hospital from stab wounds sustained at Sydney’s six-storey Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center on Saturday night, according to Australian media reports.
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Around 3:20 p.m. local time, a 40-year-old male suspect armed with a knife attacked several people at a shopping mall, injuring nine-month-old baby Harriet.
6 people killed in unprovoked attack, Eight people, including an infant, were hospitalized with injuries. Authorities said the assailant was shot and killed by heroic police officers who were first on the scene.
Goode was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to NCA Newswire.
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Two witnesses who spoke to 9News said she handed her the baby and begged for help before being taken away in an ambulance.
“The baby was stabbed,” the witness said.
A witness and her brother said they helped put pressure on the mother and baby’s wounds before they were taken to an ambulance.
“The mother was stabbed and she came with the baby and threw the baby at me. [I] She was holding a baby,” he told a local broadcaster.
A witness described their wounds as “very bad” and said there was “a lot of blood on the floor”.
Australian suspect: 6 killed in stabbing at busy shopping center: police
The stabbing happened at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, authorities said. (Fox News)
Reese Colmenares was one of 20 people who hid in a hardware store when people, including mothers and babies, started fleeing the mall.
“The mother was scared, sad and just holding her baby (and) comforting her,” she told Reuters.
Sky News anchor Laura Jays did not reveal the victim’s name, but revealed live on air that she knew the victim’s mother.
In an emotional report, Ms Jays said Ms Good was a “mother in the prime of her life”.
“She has great friends. She’s a beautiful woman. She was a great athlete. And she had the world at her feet. She got married in recent years,” Jays said.
“Her family is on the way. They’re rushing here now. So many family members and friends wanted to go to the hospital this afternoon that we had to take turns in and out of the waiting room.”
“Her baby underwent surgery, but the mother did not survive. This is really difficult news to take,” Jays said.
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Police enter the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall after a stabbing in Sydney on April 13, 2024. Australian police said on April 13 that they received reports of “multiple people” being stabbed at a busy shopping center in Sydney. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
Jays, who submitted her report in tears, recounted her mother’s brave final moments.
“When you have a nine-month-old baby like that, you’re still healthy and in the neonatal period. You’re with that baby all the time,” she said.
“And for her, I can’t imagine having to hand over the most important thing in her life.”
Jays, who declined to reveal the mother’s identity out of respect for the family’s privacy, said the victim was an “incredible” person.
“Like I say, she’s one of those all-arounders. She’s an incredible athlete, she’s so smart, she’s so beautiful, and she was so excited to be a new mom,” she said. .
“And it was all stripped away in a matter of seconds here this afternoon.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb told reporters on Saturday that the stabbing was under investigation. The suspect was known to police, but investigators are waiting to confirm his identity before releasing the case to the public.
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Mr Webb added that police did not believe he was “contemplated, that this was not a terrorist incident”.
“I want to assure you that we are confident there is no ongoing risk. We are currently dealing with one person who has died,” Webb told a news conference.
