A police officer hailed as a hero for shooting dead one of the attackers responsible for the Bondi Beach massacre has been identified by Australian media as Detective Senior Constable Cesar Barraza.
Videos from the tragedy give a clearer picture of how the antisemitic attack that killed at least 15 people unfolded and how Barraza, armed only with a handgun, moved in to take out the attackers from about 45 meters (150 feet) away – helping to end Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.
Barraza is believed to have shot dead Sajid Akram, 50, according to The Sydney Morning Herald and CNN affiliates 9News and 7News. Minutes later, Akram’s son and alleged accomplice Naveed, 24, was shot and critically injured.
Standing on a footbridge next to Campbell Parade, the road that runs along Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the father-son duo allegedly used shotguns and rifles to indiscriminately fire on dozens of families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
The videos, posted on social media and verified by CNN, show different angles of the same moment, and reveal how the attack and police response unfolded in a little over six minutes.
The attackers began their rampage on Sunday near Archer Park, just over 100 meters (380 feet) from Bondi Beach. Dashcam video shows bystanders Boris and Sofia Gurman, the first victims of the attack, fatally shot after bravely trying to disarm one of the shooters.
People can be seen fleeing the footbridge as the two men approach, with the shooter alleged to be Naveed opening fire in multiple directions while Sajid heads into the park where an open air Hannukah celebration was taking place.
There, Sajid Akram is confronted by an unarmed bystander, father of two Ahmed Al Ahmed, who tackles him and manages to wrestle the rifle from him.
Sajid then heads back toward the bridge. As he moves away, video shows another bystander, believed to be Reuven Morrison – who was later killed in the attack – hurling objects at him.
From the footbridge, the shooter alleged to be Naveed is seen raising his gun, aiming and firing several shots.
About one minute later, Sajid has rejoined his accomplice on the bridge.
Then, in the background of the video, a man wearing dark pants, a light shirt and black tie can be seen moving in, taking a defensive position near a tree and taking aim.
The officer named as Detective Senior Constable Cesar Barraza raises his gun and fires the shot that kills Sajid. The surviving shooter returns fire in the officer’s direction for over a minute until he gets taken down by another bullet. It’s unclear if the officer also fired that shot or if the bullets came from fellow officers who were engaging the final shooter.
Analysis of the footage shows the officer was about 45 meters from the gunman – a shot considered tough with a handgun, for even the most experienced marksman.
A crowd of police and civilians quickly gathers around the two suspects. The detective was seen in other footage as responders give CPR to one of the attackers.
Further CNN audio analysis of a 10-minute video clip that captured a large portion of the attack found that at least 100 shots were fired by the attackers and police combined.
Naveed Akram was arrested and taken to hospital in critical condition. Police charged him on Wednesday with 54 offenses, including committing a terrorist act and 15 counts of murder.
Police believe the pair were driven by “Islamic State ideology” and authorities are investigating a recent month-long trip they took to Philippine region of Mindanao, an area with a history of Islamist extremism.
On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Office of National Intelligence identified an online video feed from Islamic State that “reinforces” the theory the gunmen were inspired by ISIS, according to 9News.
Cops hailed but questions remain over whether they were properly equipped
Police said Wednesday they were unable to confirm the identity of the officer who shot the attackers, as they were awaiting ballistic examination before confirming who fired the shot.
But in a press conference, police commissioner for New South Wales (NSW) state Mal Lanyon praised Barraza, without naming him.
“I am incredibly proud of the officer who has been identified, as I am of every police officer who was there on that day,” Lanyon said. “The bravery they went through, to approach and resolve that situation, is incredible.”
Barraza, a Bondi-based officer who has reportedly been on the force for at least 15 years, appeared on an Australian reality TV show in 2009 called Recruits, a documentary series that followed the daily life of police recruits training to becoming officers.
“My name is Cess Barraza, I’m 26, and I want to be a police officer because I hate crime,” Barraza said on the show.
Two officers were wounded in the attack, including 22-year-old probationary constable Jack Hibbert who sustained bullet wounds to the head and shoulder in the attack, and has lost the sight in one of his eyes. Constable Scott Dyson, 25, described as one of the first officers on the scene, was critically injured and remains in the intensive care unit in a serious but stable condition.
The footage has raised questions about whether the number of officers deployed to patrol the Hanukkah celebration was sufficient, and whether the officers were under-equipped to deal with this level of attack – having only handguns at their disposal.
Police Commissioner Lanyon said Wednesday that the subject of whether community members requested additional police presence would be part of their investigation.
Authorities will also review whether frontline officers should have access to greater firepower, with weapons available on their person or kept in the trunk of their vehicles.
Historically, NSW operational police officers have only used handguns because the type of confrontation that required an officer to use a weapon was usually in close quarters, police said.
The state had the lowest murder rate in Australia between 2021 and 2023, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, and gun crime is relatively rare.
Restrictions were tightened almost 30 years ago after a lone gunman armed with semiautomatic weapons killed 35 people at the Port Arthur historic tourist site in the island state of Tasmania. Sunday’s massacre was the worst mass shooting since that tragedy.
“What happened on Sunday has changed that dynamic,” Lanyon said. “It’s important as an organization, we consider everything to keep our officers and the community safe.”
Australian leaders have repeatedly and vehemently pushed back against accusations the police were late to respond or did not do enough to stop Sunday’s attack, saying it is “not consistent with the facts.”
“The New South Wales police acted with bravery and integrity. They didn’t take a backward step, they engaged the gunman on the footbridge with handguns,” New South Wales premier Chris Minns said at a press conference Tuesday.
“The offenders had long-range rifles, and New South Wales police officers were responsible for killing one of them and shooting the other one, and as a result, saving many, many people’s lives.”