On Monday, the Australian authorities confirmed the identity of the sixth victim in the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping center stabbing incident in Sydney on Saturday (April 13). The victim was identified as 27-year-old Chinese citizen Yixuan Cheng.
Yixuan Cheng, a student pursuing a master’s degree in economics at the University of Sydney from Anhui Province, China, was talking happily on the phone with her fiancé just minutes before the tragic incident took place.
Unfortunately, Yixuan Cheng was confirmed to have passed away on Sunday night. She had just finished her exams and decided to treat herself with a shopping trip at the Westfield shopping center in Sydney.
According to reports from Chinese media, Yixuan Cheng’s fiancé, Wang, mentioned that they were chatting joyfully at 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the horrifying incident occurred.
After the conversation ended, Wang saw the news of the stabbing incident. He tried multiple times to reach Yixuan Cheng but received no response, causing worry among her family in China.
Wang expressed, “My heart sank. We tried to contact her day and night but received no response. The entire family was terrified, not daring to think about what might have happened.”
In the hours following the attack, Wang and Cheng’s family members in China were informed that a female victim, later identified as Yixuan Cheng, was found near her handbag at the scene with her identification and phone.
The families of Yixuan Cheng and Wang went through agonizing hours until it was confirmed on the evening of April 14th (Australian time) that Yixuan had passed away.
Wang revealed to the media that they had planned to hold their wedding after Yixuan Cheng graduated this year. Both families are currently on their way to Sydney.
It was confirmed by the Chinese Embassy in Canberra that another Chinese student was seriously injured in the attack.
Sydney University has set up a memorial area on campus where many students have left cards and flowers expressing condolences. The University’s vice-chancellor Mark Scott also paid tribute by laying flowers.
The perpetrator of the attack, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, randomly stabbed people at the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping center on Saturday afternoon before being shot dead by Senior Constable Amy Scott who arrived at the scene.
Police in New South Wales stated that the suspect had an unidentified mental health condition and appeared to specifically target women in the attacks.
Among the six victims of this horrific incident, five were women. The victims included Ashlee Good, a 38-year-old mother whose 9-month-old daughter is currently in critical condition in intensive care but stable; Jade Young, a 47-year-old Sydney architect and mother of two; Pikria Darchia, a 55-year-old Sydney resident from Georgia, USA; Dawn Singleton, the 25-year-old daughter of well-known Australian entrepreneur John Singleton; and security guard Faraz Tahir, aged 30.
New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Anthony Cooke stated at a press conference that they are analyzing the perpetrator’s profile, and at this stage, it appears to be linked to his mental health.
Cooke added, “So far… we have not received any information, found any evidence, or collected any intelligence indicating that this was motivated by any specific reason – ideological or otherwise.”
On Monday, Chris Minns, the Governor of New South Wales, mentioned that some survivors were discharged that evening while others continued to receive care in the hospitals. The investigation into the entire incident is ongoing.
Investigators believe the incident is unrelated to terrorism and have been in communication with the perpetrator’s family.
Assistant Commissioner Roger Lowe of the Queensland Police stated on Sunday that investigations revealed the suspect had been sleeping in his car and his family had not been in frequent contact with him.
The suspect’s family issued a statement through the Queensland Police on Monday, expressing deep sorrow about the traumatic event in Sydney on the previous day. They shared that Joel had been battling mental health issues since his teenage years.
Flags were flown at half-mast across Australia on Monday as a mark of respect to the six victims of the Westfield shopping center incident.
In a show of mourning, the sails of the Sydney Opera House were lit up with black ribbons on Monday night to pay tribute to the victims.