The policeman fiance of one of the victims of the Bondi Junction stabbing attack was among dozens of officers urgently called to the scene on Saturday.
It has also been revealed that Dawn Singleton was shopping at the Westfield for her upcoming wedding to Ashley Wildey, her childhood sweetheart.
Ms Singleton, the daughter of billionaire business identity John Singleton and lawyer Julie Martin, was stabbed outside the Chanel boutique after purchasing make-up.
A friend of the 25-year-old told The Daily Telegraph she had only been inside the Westfield shopping centre for 15 minutes before she was attacked by Joel Cauchi during the horrific massacre, which killed five women and one man.
Mr Wildey had finished a shift when New South Wales Police issued an urgent call for officers to rush to Bondi Junction at about 3.30pm, after the first panicked triple-0 calls were received.
“He had arrived at Westfield when officers realised his fiancee was one of the victims,” The Daily Telegraph quoted a source as saying.
He was taken away from the scene to be comforted by family.
“He is devastated,” a friend of Mr Wildey told the newspaper. “He is getting a lot of help from NSW Police. They are looking after him.”
One of Ms Singleton’s devastated friends said she had decided to go shopping while her fiance was working.
“She’d just gone in to buy makeup at Chanel, she was only there for 15 minutes, looking at makeup for her wedding.
“She only bought her wedding dress last week.”
The young couple met while both at school and were “each other’s first boyfriend and girlfriend”, another friend told The Daily Telegraph.
Yesterday, loved ones of the six victims of the attack descended on the scene to lay flowers and cards at a makeshift memorial alongside shell-shocked Sydneysiders.
Emmi Shannon, who had been friends with Ms Singleton since they were children and met at the prestigious Kambala School, was overcome with emotion.
“She was just so down to earth, humble, sweet and hard working,” Ms Shannon said. “She was just amazing.”
Kambala School sent a message to parents yesterday, paying tribute to its former student and remembering her as a “valued” member of its community.
“We extend our sincere condolences to her family and acknowledge that the loss of a family member from such a random act must be exceptionally hard to comprehend,” principal Jane Danvers wrote.
“There is no doubt the ramifications from this incident may continue to unfold over the coming days and weeks with many of our community potentially affected.”
Ms Singleton studied at the University of Technology Sydney and worked in e-commerce for the fashion brand White Fox. The company issued a statement yesterday mourning the loss of “someone special to us who felt like a family member”.
“We are all truly devastated by this loss,” the statement read.
“Dawn was a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her. She was really amazing. We send our love and deepest condolences to her partner, the Singleton family and her friends.”