Two Bondi Beach massacre victims were filmed moments before their tragic deaths as they tried to stop one of the gunmen.
The clip was taken from a dashcam of a car driving past the scene and shows two people ripping a gun from 50-year-old shooter Sajid Naveed.
It shows a man in a purple shirt sitting on the road only a few metres away from the footbridge where the shooting took place, holding the weapon after ripping it from him. A woman stands nearby.
A full 10-minute video of the attack shows Naveed walking back to the bridge moments later, and opening fire in the direction of the pair who took the gun from him, indicating he may have gone back to retrieve the firearm.
Drone footage of the firefight then shows two bodies laying next to each other where the man in the purple shirt and the woman were pictured earlier.
Locals Monika and Tim Holtsbaum witnessed the moment unfold.
They left Bondi Beach on Sunday night with their two young daughters when they saw a man in a purple shirt tackling and attempting to disarm Akram.
“Shots were fired before this gentleman ran over and effectively tackled this guy [Akram] into the street to grab his rifle off him,” Tim told the Australian Financial Review.
“I saw the dad fall down… and then I jumped in the back of the car to shield my girls and to pull them down so they didn’t see anything,” Monika said.
“We didn’t have enough time to stand there and watch it from start to finish because we were in the car and we started to speed up once three or four shots had been fired,” Tim said.
“For him to be brave enough to run over to a man with a rifle after shots had been fired to try and take his gun from him was pretty amazing,” Tim said. “Very confronting to see the footage back, to see him having his life taken, which is just the ultimate kind of sacrifice.”
“His family needs to know he was a hero,” Monika said.
Vision of the moment also shows, for the first time, an Islamic State flag draped over the front windscreen of a car parked next to the bridge.
Many have spoken about the moment on social media too.
“Many people may not know that at the very beginning of the incident, two individuals were among the first to identify the gunman and bravely attempted to disarm him,” a social media user said.
“Tragically, they were shot and killed in the process.
“They were heroes too. They stepped forward in the face of extreme danger.”
A passer-by said the man was a “hero” after watching the struggle unfold.
“We saw this man heroically try to disarm this evil terrorist. His family needs to know he (was) trying to save lives. He is a hero,” they wrote.
It is understood the two victims have not been named.
Nine of the 15 victims have been identified, including the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
Man threw bricks at shooter before his death
The daughter of Bondi shooting victim Reuven Morrison says he confronted Sajid Akram and threw a brick at him before he was killed.
Mr Morrison, a 62-year-old Soviet-born member of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community, was shot and killed in the attack.
His daughter, Sheina Gutnick, told CBS News he was trying to stop the shooter after shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed tackled the man.
“From my sources and understanding, he had jumped up the second the shooting started. He managed to throw bricks at the terrorist,” she said.
Footage shows Morrison running towards Akram and throwing a brick, before backing away.
“I believe after Ahmed managed to get the gun off the terrorist, my father had then gone to try and unjam the gun, to try and attempt shooting. He was screaming at the terrorist,” she said.
“My dear father, Reuven Morrison was shot dead for being Jewish at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach while protecting lives, while jumping up, putting his own life at risk to save his fellow Jewish community members.”
