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10 people dead after Bondi gunfire, including one shooter
NSW police just confirmed 10 people are dead after the shooting, including nine victims.
One shooter has been killed.
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Witness describes ‘very continuous shooting’
Guardian reporter Anne Davies is in Bondi talking to people at the scene.
She spoke with Sergi Cánovas, who had just left Bondi beach with his family when they heard multiple shots – “very continuous shooting” – and saw people starting to run.
Eating at a nearby sushi restaurant, they hid under the table. As the shots continued, they crawled through the kitchen to a backyard with a group of people.
“A … very nice lady, she opened the door of her house,” he said. “We went all inside and then we just put all the shutters down and just wait there.”
Graham Readfearn
‘It was mayhem’, witness says
Jesse Lockhart-Krause is a Bondi local and volunteer surf lifesaver who was in the area to pick up his girlfriend who is also a volunteer surf lifesaver. He said:
I was driving to pick her up from the surf club. I thought there were fireworks but I could see birds flying away.
Then I saw a group of people running towards the car. I realised it wasn’t fireworks. It was mayhem with people jumping jumping out of their cars.
It was still daylight. It was a beautiful day today.
Lockhart-Krause, who is now safe and home with his girlfriend, said the shooting occurred in the vicinity of a car park behind a children’s play area that was next to the surf pavilion.
He said several volunteers from the surf lifesaving club had reacted after the shots were fired to take emergency equipment including oxygen and defibrillators to the scene. he said:
There were several that had the courage to get into the park and start helping people. It was all surreal.
It is my back yard down there and it feels wrong. It is concerning that this can happen in the community.
Melbourne Hanukah event cancelled after shooting
A Hanukah event in Melbourne was cancelled earlier this evening “out of an abundance of caution”. The CSG Community Security Group said the event Chanukah at Caulfield Racecourse had ended early, saying those at the site were being told to leave and anyone en route should return home.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said she was horrified by the events, saying tonight “all Victorians stand with New South Wales and everyone who is grieving right now”.
The incident that has unfolded in Bondi this evening is horrifying and distressing.
My thoughts are with all those impacted by this horrific incident and with the first responders who are dealing with this traumatic event.
Tonight all Victorians stand with New South Wales and…
National Imams Council urges Australians to ‘stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity’
The Australian National Imams Council just issued a statement condemning the shooting, urging all Australians to “stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity”. The body said:
These acts of violence and crimes have no place in our society. Those responsible must be held fully accountable and face the full force of the law.
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack. We acknowledge the pain, fear, and distress felt across the community and extend our sincere compassion and support to all who are grieving.
Tom McIlroy
Albanese expected to speak later tonight
The national security committee of federal cabinet is meeting now, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, attending in Canberra.
Albanese is expected to speak from Parliament House after the meeting wraps up.
Two police officers among injured; specialist teams investigating ‘suspicious items’ in the area
NSW police just released a statement after the shooting, with a press conference set for 9.30pm this evening.
Two police officers were injured in the shooting.
One man believed to be a shooter has been killed, and another alleged shooter is in a critical condition.
During their investigation, police said a “number of suspicious items” have been located in the area and are being examined by specialist officers. An exclusion zone is in place. Police said:
An extensive crime scene has been established and inquiries are now underway. There have been NO reports of any other incidents in Sydney connected to this incident.
Police are appealing for anyone with mobile phone footage or dashcam video to send it to Crime Stoppers.
Jordyn Beazley
18 in hospital, but conditions are unknown
NSW Ambulance have confirmed that 18 people are in hospital, and paramedics are still treating more at the scene.
They would not confirm what condition the 18 people are in.
Israeli president Isaac Herzog just released a statement after the shooting. He said:
Our hearts go out to them … we pray for the recovery of the wounded, we pray for them, and we pray for those who lost their lives.
Images from the scene at Bondi beach
10 people dead after Bondi gunfire, including one shooter
NSW police just confirmed 10 people are dead after the shooting, including nine victims.
One shooter has been killed.
Sussan Ley condemns ‘hateful violence’ in a place ‘we all know so well and love’
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has released a lengthy statement after the shooting. She said in part:
Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi.
The loss of life from this attack is significant and I join with the Prime Minister in urging all Australians to follow official advice from police and relevant authorities.
This attack occurred as our Jewish community came together at the Chanukah by the Sea celebration. This was a celebration of peace and hope for the future, severed by hate.
My heart is with Australia’s Jewish community tonight, particularly those in the eastern suburbs of Sydney – people I know well.
Tom McIlroy
Allegra Spender says ‘this is not the Australia that we know and love’
Independent MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate includes Bondi Beach, just released some remarks. She said:
This is horrifying. It’s still not clear exactly what has happened yet. The reporting is police have apprehended the perpetrators. I am urging people to follow police requests and avoid Bondi Beach.
This is not the Australia that we know and love. I know our community will come together but this is devastating to all of us.
‘It sounded like dozens of crackers’
We have a dispatch from the scene from the Guardian’s Emma Elsworthy.
She said:
Walking up Francis Street with groceries in hand, what sounded like fireworks began crackling through the daylight. My first thought was that it was an odd choice to let them off when the sky was still so bright blue – or had it been an accident, a night-time event that went early? It sounded like dozens of crackers.
People stood on their balconies with binoculars. I’d been for a swim down at Bondi beach 20 minutes earlier – the same place that police cars howling past me seemed to be headed. Some frazzled people walking up from the beach passed by me, talking over each other.
The word “shooting” was audible.
Shooting ‘was very deliberate and very targeted’, ECAJ co-CEO says
Speaking to 2GB, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, said the shooting happened during a Jewish community event on the beach organised for the first night of Hanukkah.
Ryvchin, who was not at the event, said he had spoken to the ECAJ’s director of media, who he alleged had been injured during the incident.
“Hundreds of people were gathered. It’s a family event,” said Ryvchin. He went on:
They heard, like, dozens of popping sounds. And people just started running, running over barricades, grabbing their children. It was mayhem.
I don’t think this was an attack just that happened to occur at Bondi beach. I think this was very deliberate and very targeted.
Six people rushed to hospital after Bondi shooting
Graham Readfearn
The NSW Ambulance service has confirmed that six people have been taken to local hospitals following a shooting incident at Bondi beach.
An ambulance spokesperson could not say the nature of the injuries or the condition of the people taken to hospitals, but that ambulance staff had been treating people on the scene with gunshot injuries.
The service was called to area at 6.45pm to reports of multiple people shot, the spokesperson said. There were 25 units at the scene, including helicopters and intensive care units.
Four people had been taken to St Vincent’s hospital, one person had been taken to Royal Prince Alfred hospital and another to St George hospital.
