Lockdown, Multiple Deaths: What We Know So Far About Sydney Mall Stabbings

According to local media reports, at least four people are believed dead, but cops are yet to issue an official statement. Among those injured were a mother and her baby, who are being treated for stab wounds.The stabbings occurred at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall complex, which was packed with Saturday afternoon shoppers.Security camera footage broadcast by local media showed a man running around the shopping centre with a large knife and injured people lying on the floor.Police said a male was shot at the scene of the attack, but it is still not known if the death count of four includes the attacker.  The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear.In a statement, the acting premier of New South Wales said, “I am shocked at reports of multiple casualties at Bondi Junction late this afternoon. My thoughts and those of the NSW government are with the victims, their families, and first responders at this time, as well as those who may have witnessed these horrific events.”The centre is still in lockdown, with shoppers who had been hiding in stores continuing to exit stores as heavily armed tactical response teams move through the centre.Authorities have advised the public to steer clear of the area, as the vicinity is congested with ambulances and police vehicles attending to the emergency.Brendan Blomeley, who was inside the shopping centre with his two children during the incident, described the terrifying ordeal. “It was frightening, it was harrowing… We were cowering in a store with hundreds of other people,” he told the Guardian.Aerial footage from TV helicopters captured the sight of heavily armed police navigating the rooftop of one of the buildings in Bondi. Several posts on social media showed crowds fleeing the mall and police cars and emergency services rushing to the area.