The police officer fiancee of a young woman killed in the Bondi Junction stabbing rushed to the shopping center to help his colleagues, only to discover his wife-to-be was among the victims.
25-year-old Dawn Singleton – the daughter of multi-millionaire advertising guru John Singleton – is set to marry her high school sweetheart, NSW police officer Ashley Wildey, in the coming months.
Ms Singleton’s life was tragically cut short, along with five other shoppers, when she was stabbed by Joel Cauchi, 40, in Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday afternoon while shopping for her wedding.
‘She had just gone to buy make-up at Chanel, she was only there for fifteen minutes looking at make-up for her wedding’ a friend told the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Wildey, who was reportedly on duty, rushed to the shopping center to assist police colleagues with the unfolding situation.
“He had arrived in Westfield when officers realized his fiancée was one of the victims,” the source said.
Mr Wildey was then allowed to leave the scene to be comforted by family and friends, as is customary.
Dawn Singleton (pictured left) was shopping for her wedding. Her fiancé Ashley Wildey (pictured right) rushed to the mall to help his colleagues, only to discover that his wife-to-be was one of the victims
John Singleton’s 25-year-old daughter Dawn has been named among six people killed by knife-wielding attacker Joel Cauchi in Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday
Dawn is the eldest of three daughters of John Singleton and his ex-wife Julie Martin (the couple pictured above)
The 25-year-old, affectionately known as Dawnie, is one of Singleton’s three daughters from his marriage to Julie Martin. He has a total of eight children.
Last week she bought her wedding dress and started sending out ‘save the date’ invites to her loved ones and friends ahead of the special day.
The tragic new details come as Australian fashion giant White Fox Boutique paid tribute to Ms Singleton, who worked as the company’s e-commerce assistant.
“Dawn was a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her,” the company wrote on Instagram.
‘She was really great. We are all truly devastated by this loss.
“We extend our condolences to her partner, the Singleton family and her friends. She will always be remembered as part of the White Fox family.”
Ms Singleton was the second victim of the horrific attack to be identified after it was revealed that osteopath and first mother Ashlee Good, 38, had died in hospital on Saturday evening.
Ms Good’s nine-month-old daughter was also injured in the attack and is in a serious but stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery that night.
Double Bay architect and mother-of-two Jade Young was identified as the third victim of the attack on Sunday.
Police were called to the shopping area at 3.20pm when Cauchi, brandishing a large hunting knife, chased men, women and children.
Footage posted online shows terrified shoppers running outside to escape or seeking shelter in stores as a siren blares through the center urging shoppers to evacuate.
Inspector Amy Scott was patrolling the area and was the first on the scene. She entered the shopping center alone and bravely ran towards the perpetrator before shooting him dead when he came towards her with the knife.
Five other people – including Ms Singleton, Ms Young, two other women and a man in his 30s – died at the scene.
Twelve others – including Ms Good, her nine-month-old child, eight other women and two men – who suffered stab wounds were treated by paramedics and taken to various hospitals in Sydney.
Some have since been discharged, while others remain in serious conditions.
Assistant Commissioner Cooke said several other people were also injured in the attack, who left Westfield and later went to medical centres.
Joel Cauchi from Queensland is pictured with a 30cm hunting knife on the escalator at Westfield shopping center at Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb told reporters on Sunday it would take some time to formally identify some of the victims of Saturday’s attack as their relatives live overseas.
Cauchi has since been identified as a Queensland man who moved to Sydney in recent months.
He suffered from schizophrenia and led a transient lifestyle, with police treating the tragedy as a mental health-related incident.
The mall and surrounding streets will remain closed on Sunday as police continue to search the crime scene for forensic evidence.
Police have formed a critical incident team made up of homicide detectives and established Strike Force Mcauley to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The investigation will also be subject to an independent review.
While the investigation continues, all witnesses, anyone with information or sight of a mobile phone who has not yet spoken to police, are urged to call police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.