Laura Byrne was overcome with emotion on Monday as she discussed the Westfield Bondi Junction massacre.
The 37-year-old broke down on her Life Uncut podcast when she revealed that the show’s producer, Keeshia, was friends with Dr. Ashlee Good, who died after being stabbed at the mall over the weekend.
“Producer Keeshia is friends with Ash, the mother who was murdered,” said an emotional Laura.
Keeshia continued, “I’m sure a lot of you have read about Ashlee Good. We became friends a few years ago. One of my best friends for over twenty years is Ash’s best friend.’
‘Everything reported about her is completely true. She was human sunshine. She was just the most positive, joyful, beautiful person. Her proudest achievement was being a mother.”
Laura Byrne (pictured) was overcome with emotion on Monday as she discussed the Westfield Bondi Junction massacre
Police were called to the shopping area at 3.20pm on Saturday when Joel 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 mall alone and bravely ran towards the perpetrator, before shooting Cauchi dead when he came towards her with the knife.
Five other people died on the spot, including first mother Dr. Good, 38, who died in hospital after the attack on Saturday evening.
Ms Good’s nine-month-old daughter was also injured in the attack and remains in hospital after undergoing emergency surgery.
The 37-year-old broke down on her Life Uncut podcast when she revealed that the show’s producer, Keeshia (pictured), was friends with Dr. Ashlee Good, who died after being stabbed at the mall
Ashlee Good (pictured), died on Saturday evening at St Vincent’s hospital after being stabbed during the disaster
Dawn Singleton, 25, daughter of multimillionaire advertising guru John Singleton, was the second victim identified.
Double Bay architect and mother of two Jade Young was identified on Sunday as the third victim of the attack, followed by 30-year-old security guard Faraz Tahir and 55-year-old artist and designer Pikria Darchia.
Chinese national Yixuan Cheng was identified as the sixth fatality on Monday morning.
Twelve people were taken to hospital after the attack, with three still in critical condition, eight stable and one discharged.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns lay flowers at the site of Saturday’s mass stabbing at Bondi Junction
Yixuan Cheng was fatally killed after Joel Cauchi fatally stabbed six people and injured at least twelve others in a violent act
Assistant Commissioner Cooke said several other people were also injured in the attack, who left Westfield and later went to medical centres.
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.
Faraz Tahir, 30 years old, was tragically killed while serving as a security guard for the public during this attack. He was a refugee from Pakistan
Dawn Singleton, the 25-year-old daughter of multi-millionaire businessman John Singleton, also lost her life
The mall and surrounding streets remained closed Monday 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.
Jade Young (pictured), of Bellevue Hill, died in the attack
Pikria Darchia (pictured), 55, who describes himself as an artist on LinkedIn and is originally from Tbilisi in Georgia, was the fifth victim identified