If you’re struggling, know that help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
As the nation continues to try and comprehend the horrific stabbing at Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction, the police officer at the centre of the tragedy is doing her best to get on with things.
WATCH: Tributes grow for Bondi Junction stabbing victims
Detective Inspector Amy Scott, 39, bravely confronted the attacker during the April 13 stabbing spree before shooting him dead.
“Amy is content with what she had to do,’’ Police Association of NSW president Kevin Morton told the media. Relaying a conversation he’d had with Amy the morning after the ordeal, Kevin revealed, “She said, ‘It was a night with not a lot of sleep.’”
Kevin has known Amy, who has a young family, for years. He said she was playing down any praise.
“She knows she has been tagged a hero but to her, she was doing her job,” he said. “Everyone will be keeping an eye on her obviously, there will be a lot of support from everyone. I can’t be more proud of her.”
Eighteen shoppers were stabbed during the rampage, including a nine-month-old baby, with six ultimately losing their lives.
Joel Cauchi, who had recently moved to Sydney from Queensland, was identified as the attacker. Footage of Amy sprinting into the densely populated shopping centre alone in pursuit of Cauchi was lauded around the world. After courageous bystanders told her where to find Cauchi, 40, Amy ordered him to drop his knife.
Witnesses said Cauchi lunged at Amy, at which point she shot him three times in the chest. While awaiting backup, she performed CPR on him and other victims nearby.
Witness Ryan Bramble said the detective acted like a true “professional”.
“She’s a hero. She gave him plenty of chances to drop the knife,” he told Today.
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley added, “[Amy] said to me that all of her training just clicked in and she did what she knew she had to do.”
If you’re struggling, know that help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
