Who is Joel Cauchi?Sydney mall knifeman targets women, avoids men

Joel Cauchi shot to death by police inspector

Australian police said on Monday they were investigating why a 40-year-old mentally ill man appeared to target women as he strolled through a Sydney shopping mall armed with a machete, killing six people and injuring a dozen others.

The man was identified as Joel Couch. The violent attack, which lasted for half an hour, ended when he was shot and killed by a police officer.

Video evidence shows the unshaven, knife-wielding man charging at his mostly female victims at the crowded Westfield shopping center in Bondi Junction. Five of the six victims Joel Couch killed were women. Most of those injured were also women.

Joel Cauchi was shot to death at the scene by a lone female officer, Amy Scott. Couch’s parents expressed their condolences to the victim in a statement and condemned their son’s actions as “truly horrific.” Additionally, they said of the officer who shot their son: “She was just doing her job to protect others, and we hope she handles it.”

Here are five facts about the killer that have been revealed so far:

1. According to Joel Couch’s social media profiles, he is from Toowoomba, near Brisbane, Queensland. He attended local high schools and colleges.

2. Joel Couch has a unique gray, red and yellow dragon tattoo on his right arm. This is one of the indicators used to help identify him.

3. Joel Couch’s family said he had struggled with mental health issues “since he was a teenager.”

4. He mostly lives in his car and hotels, and has only intermittent contact with his parents via text messages.

5. A month before the attack, Joel Cauchi traveled to Sydney where he rented a small storage unit. The unit housed Couch’s personal belongings, according to police.