Ash Good, a 38-year-old mother, tragically lost her life in a stabbing attack at a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia, on April 13, while reportedly trying to protect her 9-month-old daughter. Multiple sources including News.com.au, The Telegraph, and The Independent have confirmed her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death. Good died from injuries sustained during the attack after being rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital.
The New South Wales Police Force, while refraining from confirming the identities of the individuals involved, did confirm the sequence of events that unfolded at the Westfield Bondi Junction Shopping Centre. According to the police, the attacker fatally stabbed six people, including Good, and injured several others before being shot dead by a responding police officer.
The attack occurred around 3:30 p.m. local time when, according to a police statement, an officer from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command was confronted by a man wielding a knife. The statement detailed that the assailant lunged at the officer with the knife before being neutralized. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb, in a news conference covered by 7News Australia, stated that the attacker, described only as a “40-year-old man,” appeared to have acted alone.
The police are still in the process of formally identifying the assailant. In the chaos of the attack, Good’s daughter was also injured and subsequently taken to a local hospital for surgery. Friends and acquaintances of Good have since described her as a “beautiful human” and the “world’s best mom,” highlighting the profound impact she had on those around her.
A witness outside the mall recounted a harrowing scene to 9News Sydney, explaining how he tried to assist when the baby was stabbed. He described how the mother, in a desperate attempt to save her child, handed her baby to him, revealing the serious injuries the child had sustained.
Footage released by various news outlets captured a moment during the attack showing a shopper attempting to confront the assailant, who was brandishing a knife on an escalator, by approaching him with a shopping bollard.
Following the incident, the New South Wales Police announced that a critical incident team, consisting of members from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad and the Central Metropolitan Region, would investigate the circumstances surrounding the event. This investigation will also be subject to an independent review to ensure thorough scrutiny of the actions taken during the incident.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his condolences and concern over the attack via X (formerly Twitter), noting that he had been briefed by the Australian Federal Police on the devastating events. He acknowledged the tragic loss of life and extended his first thoughts to the victims and their families, underlining the national mourning and solidarity with those affected.