The family of Bondi Junction attacker Joel Couch have described his actions as “absolutely horrific” and have expressed condolences to the victims’ loved ones and to the police officer who shot the attacker and ended the stabbing. expressed support for.
Police said Couch, who had mental health issues, brought a knife into a crowded Sydney shopping mall on Saturday afternoon and killed six people in an unprovoked stabbing in Queensland just a month ago. He is said to have immigrated to New South Wales.
In a statement released late Sunday and distributed by police, Couch’s family said they were “absolutely devastated.” “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those who are currently receiving treatment,” they said.
“Joel’s actions were truly horrific and we are still trying to understand what happened. He has battled mental health issues since he was a teenager.
“We have been in contact with both New South Wales Police and Queensland Police and we have no issues with the officer who shot my son. She was only doing her job to protect others. , I hope she’s coping okay.”
New South Wales Police said early Sunday that they were investigating a possible attack by Couch on a woman.
Police in Queensland, where the 40-year-old lived before moving to New South Wales about a month ago, said they were also investigating claims that Mr Couch had an interest in knives.
Couch killed five women and one man. The women included Jade Young, 47, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashley Goode, 38, and two other women whose names have not been released. Security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, also died.
Police said Couch did not have a permanent residence in Sydney and was living in his car. Guardian Australia understands police believe he did not know any of the victims.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Anthony Cook said: “We continue to profile the offender, but at this stage it clearly appears to be related to the person’s mental health.”
“At this time, there is nothing yet to suggest that this was driven by any particular motive, ideology or otherwise. There is no information that we have received, no evidence that we have recovered, no information that we have collected.”
Asked if police had any information suggesting the woman was targeted, Mr Cook said detectives would “look at all possibilities”.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said it was “an obvious subject of investigation” whether Couch targeted women.
“That has been reported to me and will obviously be the subject of an investigation,” Webb told reporters. “That is concerning, but it will be part of the investigation.
“I mean, anyone who looks at that footage can see it for themselves.”
Mr Webb said “at least eight” of the 12 injured were women.
Mr Cook said Couch had moved from the Brisbane area and had rented a “very small” storage unit in Sydney, which police searched overnight.
Mr Cook did not say what police found inside the unit, but Guardian Australia understands it was only about 1 cubic meter in size.
Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Roger Rowe said Mr Couch had not been charged or charged with any offenses in Queensland, including domestic violence.
“Not here [domestic violence] The order is being carried out,” Lowe told reporters on Sunday.
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Couch is believed to have had an interest in knives. Mr Rowe confirmed the QPS was investigating an incident from early 2023 in which Mr Couch allegedly called police after a family member took away a knife.
“This gentleman was diagnosed with a mental illness at the age of 17 and has received treatment for many years,” Lowe said. “Our investigation shows that…in the past few years alone, his mental health has deteriorated.”
The owner of a knife-sharpening business in Queensland described Couch as an “eccentric” man. The business owner, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was asked by Couch to sharpen two “everyday knives” about three years ago.
“I thought it was strange,” the owner said. “He wasn’t a chef or a butcher.
“He said, ‘No, I’m just playing around with knives in the backyard a little bit, and I use them every day.'”
Lowe said Couch’s family only had regular contact with their son and contacted police after seeing footage of the incident.
Couch was shot and killed by a police officer inside a shopping center. He was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
Inspector Amy Scott was going about her daily business nearby when she was directed to the shopping center after receiving reports of a man stabbing shoppers with a “giant” knife.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Mr Scott was a hero who “undoubtedly” saved lives.
Police believe Couch’s female victims are between 20 and 55 years old, and the man is in his 30s. All were stabbed to death in a shopping center.
Two of the victims were from overseas, and police were unable to contact their families as of Sunday morning.
The victims were also not officially identified. One of the women killed was widely portrayed in Australian media as Dr Ashley Goode, who was shopping with her nine-month-old daughter when Couch allegedly attacked them. Names were mentioned.
The infant was in intensive care at Sydney’s Royal Children’s Hospital after undergoing emergency surgery overnight on Sunday. Eleven other people injured in the attack are being treated in hospitals across Sydney.
Good, 38, died trying to save the baby. Her family said Sunday they were “shaken by the terrible loss.”
The family confirmed in a statement that the baby girl’s condition has improved.
They described Good as a “beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, and all-around great human being, and so much more.”
“Words cannot express our gratitude to the two men who held and cared for our baby when Ashley was not available,” they said.
A fundraiser set up to support Good’s family had raised more than $14,000 by late Sunday morning.
Police are appealing to anyone who was at the shopping center on Saturday or has any other information to contact Crime Stoppers.
