SYDNEY (Reuters) – Young Sydney mother Ashlee Good, cradling her nine-month-old daughter Harriet, was one of the victims of a stabbing attack at a shopping center that killed six people, her family confirmed in a statement Sunday.
Five women and a security guard were killed in Saturday’s attack in the Sydney suburb of Bondi, police confirmed on Sunday, adding that 12 people remained in hospital.
Good, 38, was among the dead. Police said his daughter was in serious but stable condition in hospital.
“We are devastated by the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all-around great person and so much more,” the family said in the statement, reported by local media.
“We can report that after hours of surgery yesterday our baby is currently doing well,” the family said.
Witnesses told local media that Good had been seen cradling her daughter and had sought help from passers-by after the attack.
Good, an osteopath who describes herself on LinkedIn as an “articulate and driven” professional, had posted last month about “what a privilege it is to become a parent”, along with a photo of her with her daughter Harriet.
In Bondi several people laid flowers at the entrance to the shopping center where the attack took place.
“It’s a really tragic and shocking event,” said John Tognolini, 65, who came from Katoomba, a town about 90 km (56 miles) from Sydney, to lay flowers.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Sunday he had received messages of condolence from around the world, and at the Vatican, a senior cardinal said Pope Francis was “deeply saddened to learn of the violent attack in Sydney.”
“He assures his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy, especially to those who now mourn the loss of a loved one,” the Vatican telegram reads.