Five people died at the scene of the knife attack in a Sydney shopping center, and another person died from their injuries later in hospital. A brave police officer stood alone in the perpetrator's way and stopped him with a fatal shot.
The police initially did not provide any information about the identity of the alleged perpetrator or a possible motive. The crime is reminiscent of a shooting spree in a Texas shopping center a year ago. There a man killed several people with shots and was shot by a police officer. The suspected perpetrator was shot and died, New South Wales Police Deputy Chief Anthony Cooke said at a news conference on Saturday. There is only one suspected perpetrator and there is no further danger, he added. The man suffered from psychological problems, a police spokesman said on Sunday. A nine-month-old baby was injured in the attack and is in a stable condition in hospital, according to reports. The attack took place at Westfield shopping center in Sydney's east at around 3:40 p.m. (local time) on Saturday afternoon.