Police in Australia, investigating the Sydney shopping centre stabbings are looking at whether the killer deliberately targeted women.
Five out of six of Joel Cauchi's victims were female. The sixth was a male security guard who tried to intervene.
Cauchi was shot dead by a policewoman that he confronted during the attack near Bondi Beach on Saturday morning.
The 40-year-old had advertised himself as a male escort.
His family said he had a history of mental health problems.
His mother, Michele Cauchi, said the family is heart broken and sorry.
"My heart goes out to the people our son has hurt. If he was in his right mind, he would be absolutely devastated of what he has done.
"But he obviously was not in his right mind and he'd lost touch with reality".
New South Wales police commissioner, Karen Webb, was asked on ABC News Australia whether Joel Cauchi was motivated by gender.
"Difficult to say, but certainly a line of inquiry that is concerning. I mean, it's obvious to us and the video evidence does show that.
"So it certainly will be a line of inquiry".
