Westfield massacre live updates: Chilling Facebook posts of killer who brutally murdered six people in shopping centre emerge as his disturbing infatuation is revealed – and family of slain mum and injured baby break their silence

The man who fatally stabbed six shoppers before he was shot dead by a hero officer officer in a busy shopping centre was known to police.

Eight others were rushed to hospital with stab wounds including a nine-month-old baby.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb revealed on Saturday night that the bearded dark-haired man, 40, was known to law enforcement.

‘We are waiting to formally identify him and we cannot speculate yet on his identification,’ she said.

‘But let me assure you that we are confident that there’s no ongoing risk and we are dealing with one person who is now deceased.’

Police are yet to determine a motive but it has been ruled out as terrorism incident.

‘We know a little bit about this person, but we’re waiting to confirm his identification,’ Commissioner Webb said.

‘And if in fact it is the person that we believe it is, then we don’t have fears for that person holding an ideation.

‘In other words, that it’s not a terrorism incident.’

Six shoppers were stabbed to death, including 38-year-old mother Dr Ash Good, whose nine-month-old baby daughter was also injured.

Eight others remain in hospital in various conditions.

The shopping centre has been closed and will remain shut on Sunday.

Witnesses say the frenzied attacker slashed at shoppers with his 30cm hunting knife as he went on a wild rampage throughout the centre.

He died in a hail of gunfire after he was shot by the lone female police inspector who ran through the shopping centre to confront him and stop his murderous rampage.

‘All she said was “put it down”. Just once,’ witness Jason Dixon said.

‘Then she shot him in the chest and he went down.

‘Then when he fell on the ground she was giving him CPR.’

Hussein Osseili described how he was in the shopping centre with his six-year-old sister and grandmother when he heard gunshots and immediately knew what they were.

‘I just thought I have to get my family to safety. I told them to leave,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Then I saw a man with a big hunting knife – about 30cm long on the escalator in front of Woolies.

‘He went past Zara and Kmart, he was waving the knife around and stabbing people. He went to level five and then I heard more gunshots of the police. My family is all safe luckily.’

‘There was a lady… and there was just blood everywhere,’ Reid told  Nine News.

‘I realised I had to go and help because that’s what we’re trained to do as lifeguards.’

He and two other members of the public gave the woman first aid, along with police officers.

‘I have never seen so much blood… We were just looking for wounds, trying to stem the bleeding,’ Reid said.

‘As I looked up, there were just multiple victims, about 50m apart. The lady next to us was in a really bad way – there were others working on her.’