The grieving family of Ashlee Good, who died in the Bondi Westfield attack, has revealed her baby daughter is “doing well” after hours of surgery.
Describing the Sydney mum as “outstanding human” they said the family was struggling to come to terms with what had occurred.
“Today we are reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more,’’ the family said in a statement.
“We appreciate the well wishes and thoughts of members of the Australian public who have expressed an outpouring of love for Ashlee and our baby girl.
“We can report that after hours of surgery yesterday our baby is currently doing well. We are so grateful for the expert care and attention of the medical team at Sydney Children’s Hospital.”
The family wanted to offer thanks to emergency responders and the two men who cared for Ms Good’s baby daughter.
“We would also like to thank the New South Wales Police for their kindness and diligence in this tragedy and emergency services for getting our baby the care she needed as quickly as possible,” the family said.
“To the two men who held and cared for our baby when Ashlee could not – words cannot express our gratitude. We are struggling to come to terms with what has occurred. We would appreciate peace and privacy while we work through this as a family.”
As news filtered out on Saturday night, Sky News reporter Laura Jayes struggled to hold back tears during a live cross as she reported on the death of her friend Ms Good.
“I didn’t know the others but I knew one,” Jayes said on-air. “I can tell you that it was a mother, a mother in the prime of her life, a new mother with a nine-month-old baby. She’s a beautiful woman.
“Her baby went into surgery and her mum didn’t make it. That is really hard news to take. She was so smart, so beautiful and it was all ripped away in seconds.”
According to witnesses, Ms Good tried to save her daughter after they were both attacked, handing her baby to two strangers as she fought for life.
The Sydney mum was rushed to St Vincent’s hospital in a critical condition, but died soon after arriving.
Her baby daughter remains in a serious condition at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, in the care of medical staff and her dad, who rushed there after the attacks.
Just hours before the senseless attacks, she posted heartbreaking images of her happy nine month old baby girl on social media, to a soundtrack of My Girl.
The Sydney mum was shopping in the centre on Saturday afternoon when she and her daughter were attacked.
A friend of Ms Good told news.com.au on Saturday night that she was simply a “beautiful human” and the “world’s best mum”.
Her daughter was rushed to a separate hospital and was reportedly in a critical condition on Saturday night and underwent surgery.
Witnesses said her first instinct was to protect her baby daughter.
“The mum came over with the baby and threw it at me, and I was just holding the baby,” one of a pair of brothers told 9News.
“I just helped out, just holding the baby and trying to compress the baby, and same with the mother, trying to compress the blood from stopping and calling the ambulance and police.
“We just kept yelling out to get some clothes to help us compress and stop the baby bleeding,” he said.
In October, the Sydney mum said she was “overwhelmed” with the “pure joy” of being a mother.
“Feeling so proud, then so overwhelmed,’’ she wrote on Instagram.
“Pure joy and extraordinary exhaustion blended with emotions you’ve never felt before.
“It’s a lot. But what I do know is that it really is the most outstandingly beautiful gift one can ever receive.
“Sitting here feeling so deeply thankful, and still pinching myself she’s ours. I love her so much.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the death toll at Bondi Westfield shopping centre in Sydney as “beyond understanding” but said it was too early to speculate on any motive.
The horror unfolded at 3.20pm on Saturday afternoon in Sydney’s Bondi Junction when a man in an NRL jersey began stabbing shoppers at random, with five women and one man now confirmed dead.
The killer was later identified as Queensland man Joel Cauchi.
Multiple people were stabbed during the horror as panicked families ran for their lives, with multiple people still in hospital. A police officer ended the knifeman’s reign of terror as she bravely took him on alone and shot him dead with a bullet to the chest.
The senior female officer was nearby at the time and bravely decided to take him on alone, stalking him through the mall before gunning him down.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the dead attacker was “known to police” but that they did not believe it was terror related.
Speaking in Canberra shortly after 7pm Saturday, the Prime Minister said he had been briefed by the Australian Federal Police and the domestic spy agency ASIO.
“It would appear that this person has acted alone,’’ Mr Albanese said.
“The motives are not known yet. And speculation on that would not be helpful at this time. But we have been clear and transparent, and I know that the NSW Police as well as the AFP has made information available, as a priority, because we understand that the Australian public will be very shocked by this event.”
“For all of us tonight, the devastating scenes at Bondi Junction are beyond words or understanding. Australians will be shocked this evening. This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeted at innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday doing their shopping,” he said.
Mr Albanese said that his “heart goes out” to the families affected. He also paid tribute to the bravery of the police officer who shot dead the attacker.
“She entered the proceedings that were taking place, obviously very dangerous, by herself, she is certainly a hero,’’ he said.
“There is no doubt that she saved lives through her actions.
“And some of the footage is quite extraordinary. Staff, for whom this should have been a normal shift, shoppers peacefully going about their lives and yet for these Australians, their first instinct in the face of danger was to help someone else.”
“That is what we hold on to tonight as Australians. That’s confirmation of who we are. Brave, strong, together.”
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