By Scott Murdoch
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Sydney police officer who shot dead a man after he killed six people in a stabbing attack at one of the city’s busiest shopping malls on Saturday has been identified as Inspector Amy Scott.
Inspector Scott was in the shopping centre while the attack unfolded and confronted the man after being directed towards him by onlookers, local media reported.
The assailant was named on Sunday as Joel Cauchi by police who have ruled out terror or ideology as a motive for the random attack.
“The man allegedly lunged at the officer, before he was shot,” New South Wales police said in a statement on Sunday.
Inspector Scott was shown in local media footage administering CPR on the man after he was shot.
“When I met Amy last night … we talked about her going straight into police mode, everything she has been taught during her career and how instinctive it was,” NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley told Sky News on Sunday.
“When I said to her ‘thank you for your courage’ she said ‘it was not just me, the bystanders around me were so helpful’. (She was) so humble, it’s just typical of a NSW police officer.”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said Inspector Scott would be interviewed as part of the police investigation into the attack.
