How truckie saved mum and baby during shopping centre stabbing spree

A truck driver who was slashed in the neck and left critically injured during a West Australian stabbing spree was distracting an attacker from a mum and baby.

Konrad Frost, 39, is in a critical but stable condition at Royal Perth Hospital after he and six other people were stabbed in South Hedland, in Western Australia’s northwest, on Friday.

The rampage came to an end when fly-in, fly-out worker from Perth, Ashley Dean Fildes, 34, was shot dead by police at the South Hedland Square shopping centre.

Mr Frost yelled out to Fildes to distract him from the mum and baby, but ended up being set on himself, according to Nine News.

Kimberly Abbott was pushing her 14-month-old daughter, Dakota, in a trolley through the shopping centre when Fildes came from behind and stabbed her in the back.

“I just felt the blood rush down my back, straight away I felt my back and all I could feel was blood,” Ms Abbot told Nine News.

Mr Frost's family issued a statement on Monday saying he was communicating and "doing well" but faced a long road to recovery.

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"Konrad is kind, funny and thoughtful – very much a gentle giant who loves his family. We are all in shock something like this could happen to him," the statement says.

"We want to say a huge thank you to the amazing teams at Hedland Health Campus, Royal Flying Doctors and Royal Perth Hospital. We are forever grateful to you all for saving Konrad's life."

Mr Frost, a bulk haulage worker, underwent surgery after being airlifted from Hedland Health Campus late on Friday.

Police say Fildes stabbed a man at a motel and another in a car at the local McDonald's before entering the shopping centre and attacking two men and three women.

Two officers attempted to subdue him and fired a Taser before he lunged at them with a 40 centimetre knife.

One of the officers fired several shots and Fildes, who died at the scene.

Five victims aged 19 to 37 were treated at Hedland Health Campus and discharged while a man aged 20 did not require medical treatment.

Fildes had reportedly battled mental health issues.

WA Police Union president Harry Arnott said it was a "textbook shooting" of a frenzied "madman" by two brave and experienced sergeants.

"He was actively chasing people with that knife ... the coroner will find, in the fullness of time, that these police officers did exactly what they needed to do," he said.

With AAP

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