Community Mourns Tragic Bondi Attack Victims
A solemn crowd gathered on level four of the silent shopping center to offer condolences and lay bouquets, as stores are set to reopen on April 19.
Doors have re-opened at a Sydney shopping center that was the site of Australia’s worst mass killing in years.
While the shops remained closed and devoid of customers, the location was transformed into a space for quiet contemplation and emotional reflection for the hundreds mourning the six victims of the stabbing.
On April 18, members of the public were allowed to return to Westfield Bondi Junction in the city’s eastern suburbs for the first time since the tragic incident occurred on April 13 during the start of the school holidays.
A somber atmosphere enveloped the crowd that gathered to pay their respects and leave flowers on level four of the shopping center, where business operations will resume on April 19.
Many attendees wore black, mothers embraced their children tightly while wiping away tears, and some people prayed as they descended the escalators.
One police officer, dressed in plain clothes, walked through the center with his arm linked with another person.
Customers queued for coffee at the location where the heroic act of the “bollard man,” Damien Guerot, who confronted the attacker, took place.
