The son of a Browns Bay sushi shop owner was in the store when his mother was brutally stabbed multiple times by a man known to the family, the Herald has been told.
The Thursday evening stabbing at Neco Sushi is being described as “an act of domestic violence” and not a random attack, by the Browns Bay Business Association.
Flowers were laid outside the Clyde Rd store as locals returned to the Browns Bay town centre after cordons were lifted.
In a handwritten note placed in the storefront, the victim’s family thanked the “heroes who were present at the time of the incident”.
The woman was stabbed multiple times by a man last Thursday, and the attacker died at the scene from self-inflicted wounds.
“On behalf of our mother Marie, we sincerely thank each and every one of you for your support throughout this tragic event,” the handwritten note said.
“We are going through very tough times but we are blessed by those who have us in their thoughts and prayers.”
The letter said doctors had advised the family that the woman’s condition was stable.
“We have the utmost faith that she will make a full recovery,” the letter said. “We also want to personally thank those heroes who were present at the time of the incident.”
A woman who brought flowers to the store today said she knew both the sushi shop owner and the attacker.
The friend, who did not want to be named, said the owner had been having issues with her marriage.
“For us Korean women, getting out of a marriage is not so easy because for Korean men, it is considered a loss of face when a wife wants to leave,” she said.
The woman said the sushi owner’s son was in the shop when the attack happened and is very traumatised by what happened.
A note placed at the shop by the Browns Bay Business Association said the quick action of passers-by “no doubt assisted in giving Neco Sushi’s owner a chance of survival”.
“We salute them for acting so bravely under extremely stressful circumstances,” it said.
The association said the owner was reported to be in a stable condition.
“Our hearts go out to her and her loved ones,” the letter said.
“This was not a random attack but an act of domestic violence.”
The association added that the town’s “close-knit family” had been “rocked by this uncharacteristic incident” and urged people to “look out for each other”.
Detectives and forensic teams spent Thursday night and all of Friday at the shop, which was cordoned off until after the assailant’s body was removed late on Friday night.
Police were told of the assault at 5.48pm on Thursday, and witnesses described seeing the woman lying in a pool of blood on the pavement after she was attacked.
One witness told the Herald he saw the woman lying on the ground with blood pooling around her head.
“She was outside the door of the sushi shop lying on the pavement. She was not responding but she was moving her legs and she was in pain.”
He said some construction workers nearby had blood on their hands.
Police arrived a short time later armed with a Taser and firearm and about four officers spoke with a man who was holding the door before entering the shop.
Witnesses said they heard a lot of banging and crashing sounds. Police later confirmed the assailant had died from self-inflicted wounds in the shop.
A Browns Bay business owner said he was in total shock that something like this could happen in the quiet beachfront suburb.
Police said the incident was an isolated one, where the victim and offender were known to each other.
A Browns Bay local said he moved into the neighbourhood believing it to be safe, but said what happened was “shocking”.
Robin Lee, co-owner of 21 Days Bar & Brasserie, which is a few doors away from the sushi shop, said he had customers cancel their bookings after the incident.
“I think the immediate reaction is that they think this is a random attack, but it is not. I think we need to reassure people that Browns Bay is still safe,” Lee said.
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