Police and relatives of the Sydney serial stabbing suspect claim the guy has mental health problems.
Joel Cauchi, 40, was identified as the suspect who killed six people during a stabbing spree at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction in Sydney.
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A man with mental health concerns was named as the culprit who fatally stabbed six people and injured over a dozen others on Saturday at a busy shopping center in Australia before being shot and killed by a police officer.
Joel Cauchi, 40, killed one man and five women inside the Bondi Junction Westfield Shopping Center, according to New South Wales police. At least a dozen other people were hurt by him, including a 9-month-old toddler whose mother lost her life defending her infant during the stabbing rampage.
New South Wales police confirmed Sunday that Cauchi has a history of mental illness and that investigators are not treating the attack as terrorism related.
Cauchi’s family said in a written statement obtained by the Associated Press that their son "has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager."
While Cauchi’s mental health issues were not immediately specified, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that his family said he battled schizophrenia.
Police said they believe Cauchi’s condition deteriorated over the past five years while using drugs, including methamphetamine and psychedelics, the newspaper reported.
Cauchi was also found to have made a profile on Empire Escorts, a website that allows users to solicit sex work, in June last year, the Morning Herald reported, noting that Cauchi did not post explicit images of himself unlike other profiles.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the responding officer who took down Cauchi was "certainly a hero" whose actions had saved many more lives. The officer was identified as Inspector Amy Scott.
Albanese called Scott a "wonderful inspector who ran into danger by herself and removed the threat that was there to others, without thinking about the risks to herself."
Cauchi’s family condemned what he did and said in their statement they had "no issue" with the officer fatally shooting him "to protect others."
"Joel’s actions were truly horrific, and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened," the statement reads.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
