Australian health authorities are preparing to investigate the psychiatrist of the man who carried out the stabbing attack inside a Sydney shopping center in 2024, after an inquiry found she ignored family warnings and allowed the patient to stop medication, which led to the tragic event.
Joel Koshi, 40, diagnosed with schizophrenia since his teenage years, carried out a knife attack on people inside the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center in April 2024. The attack resulted in 10 injuries and 6 deaths. At that time, he was homeless and not receiving treatment.
New South Wales state investigators stated that Dr. Andrea Boros-Lavac had provided excellent care to Koshi over many years, but she ignored warnings from Koshi’s family several years earlier, who had tried to indicate signs of his condition worsening before the 2024 tragedy occurred.
Officials noted that these errors, along with the response procedures of police and mall security, were contributing factors leading to the tragic event which resulted in six deaths: Dawn Singleton, 25; Yi Xuan Cheng, 27; Jade Young, 47; Ashley Good, 38; Faras Tahir, 30; and Pigria Darsia, 55.
Additionally, 10 people were injured, including the child of Ashley Good, one of the deceased. The entire incident unfolded within just three minutes before Koshi, who was in a frenzied state, was fatally shot by New South Wales police.
The investigation concluded in May of last year after five weeks. During that time, officials heard testimony from numerous witnesses, including medical staff, police officers, survivors, and families of the deceased, to establish the facts and sequence of events that led to this shocking tragedy. The main goal was to find ways to prevent such disasters from recurring.
The 800-page investigation report was scheduled for release at the end of 2025 but was postponed to show respect and honor the 15 victims of a separate mass shooting by two gunmen at Bondi Beach on 14 December.
On 5 February, investigator Teresa O’Sullivan told the court that Dr. Boros-Lavac had treated Koshi “thoroughly, attentively, and compassionately” for many years, since taking him on as a personal patient in 2012.
Between 2018 and mid-2019, the Queensland-based psychiatrist closely treated Koshi, aiming to gradually reduce his medication dosage until he could eventually stop the medication, which is a common treatment approach. Investigators did not initially question this.
However, in late 2019, when Koshi’s mother began expressing concerns that her son’s condition might be relapsing, the psychiatrist reportedly "did not recognize the severity of the situation unfolding before her and neglected to provide more proactive treatment than before."
Investigators described this as a "serious failing" that the doctor "did not take steps to reinstate Koshi on his medication."
:BBC