The police officer hailed as a hero for shooting one of the perpetrators of the Bondi Beach massacre has been identified by Australian media as Senior Constable Cesar Barraza.
Video of the tragedy provides a clearer picture of how the anti-Semitic attack that left at least 15 people dead unfolded, and how Barraza, armed only with a handgun, advanced from about 45 meters (150 feet) away to eliminate the attackers, helping to end Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years.
Barraza is believed to have shot and killed 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 seriously injured.
Standing on a footbridge next to Campbell Parade, a road that runs along Sydney’s Bondi Beach, the father-son duo are accused of using shotguns and rifles to fire indiscriminately at dozens of families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
The videos, posted on social media and verified by CNN, show the same moment from different angles and reveal how the attack and police response unfolded in just over six minutes.
The attackers began their rampage on Sunday near Archer Park, just over 100 meters from Bondi Beach. Dashcam video shows bystanders Boris and Sofia Gulman, the first victims of the attack, being shot dead after valiantly trying to disarm one of the gunmen.
People were seen fleeing from the pedestrian bridge as the two men approached, and the gunman, believed to be Naveed, fired in multiple directions before Sajid headed towards a park where an outdoor Hanukkah celebration was being held.
There, Sajid Akram confronted the father of the two, Ahmed al-Ahmed, who was an unarmed bystander, tackled him and managed to wrest his rifle from him.
Sajid then heads back towards the bridge. As he moves away, the video shows another bystander, believed to be Reuben Morrison, who later died in the attack, throwing an object at him.
The gunman, identified as Naveed, was seen holding a gun from a footbridge, taking aim and firing several shots.
About a minute later, Sajid joined his accomplice on the bridge.
Then, in the background of the video, a man wearing dark pants, a light shirt, and a black tie can be seen walking in, taking a defensive position near a tree, and taking aim.
A police officer designated as Senior Constable Cesar Barraza drew a gun and opened fire, killing Sajid. The surviving shooter fired at the officers for over a minute before being killed by another bullet. It is unclear whether the officer also fired shots, or whether the gunfire came from a fellow officer who was engaging the last gunman.
Analysis of the footage showed the officer was about 150 feet away from the gunman, which would be difficult for even the most experienced shooter to shoot with a handgun.
A crowd of police and civilians quickly gathers around the two suspects. Other footage showed responders performing CPR on one of the attackers.
Further audio analysis by CNN of a 10-minute video clip that captured much of the attack showed 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 on Wednesday charged him with 54 crimes, including terrorism and 15 counts of murder.
Police believe the pair were motivated by Islamic State ideology, and authorities are investigating their recent month-long trip to the Philippine island of Mindanao, which has a history of Islamic extremism.
On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Office of National Intelligence had identified an online video feed from the Islamic State, “reinforcing” the theory that the militant group was inspired by ISIS, according to 9News.
Police met, but questions remain as to whether they were properly equipped.
Police said Wednesday they could not confirm the identity of the officer who fired the gun as they awaited ballistics testing before confirming who fired the shots.
But NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon praised Mr Barraza at a press conference without naming him.
“I’m extremely proud of the officer who was identified, as well as all of the officers who were on scene that day,” Runyon said. “The courage they had to approach and resolve that situation is incredible.”
Barraza, a Bondi-based police officer who is believed to have been with the force for at least 15 years, appeared on Australian reality show Recruits in 2009. This program is a documentary series that follows the daily lives of new recruits who undergo training to become police officers.
“My name is Seth Barraza, I’m 26 years old, and I want to be a police officer because I hate crime,” Barraza said on the show.
Two police officers were injured in the attack, including 22-year-old apprentice constable Jack Hibbert, who suffered gunshot wounds to his head and shoulder and lost vision in one eye. Officer Scott Dyson, 25, who was said to be one of the first officers on the scene, sustained serious injuries and remains in a stable but stable condition in intensive care.
The footage raised questions about whether there were enough police officers sent to patrol Hanukkah celebrations and whether they were ill-equipped to deal with this level of attack, with only handguns at their disposal.
Police Chief Runyon said Wednesday that part of the investigation will be whether members of the community requested additional police presence.
Authorities will also consider whether front-line police officers should have access to more firepower and whether they should carry their weapons on their person or store them in the trunk of their vehicle.
Historically, operational police officers in New South Wales have only used handguns, police said, because the types of conflicts that require officers to use their weapons are typically carried out in close quarters combat.
The state had the lowest murder rate in Australia between 2021 and 2023, and gun crime is relatively rare, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Regulations were tightened about 30 years ago after a lone gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle killed 35 people at Port Arthur historic tourist site on the island of Tasmania. Sunday’s massacre was the worst mass shooting since that tragedy.
“What happened Sunday changed that dynamic,” Runyon said. “This is important to us as an organization and we are considering everything to keep our officers and the community safe.”
Australian leaders have repeatedly lashed out at accusations that police were slow to respond or did not do enough to stop Sunday’s attack, calling them “inconsistent with the facts”.
“New South Wales Police acted bravely and with integrity. They did not step back and engaged the perpetrators on the footbridge with their pistols,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minnes said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“The perpetrators were armed with long-range rifles and NSW police officers were responsible for killing one of them and shooting the other, thereby saving the lives of many, many people.”
