Bondi Beach attack: Dashcam video shows couple confronting suspected gunman – National

A couple killed in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack tried to stop one of the suspected shooters and briefly took his weapon, according to dashcam footage.

Boris Gurman, 69, and his wife, Sofia, 61, reportedly intervened in an attempt to disarm the suspect, losing their lives in the process.

Dashcam footage shared on the Chinese social media platform Rednote shows Gurman fighting with one of the suspected attackers, disarming him and both men falling into the road.

Gurman appears to stand and hit the attacker with the weapon with his wife at his side. The attacker is then believed to have retrieved another gun, which he allegedly used to kill the couple, the BBC reported.

Separate drone footage shows the couple lying motionless on the pavement, according to The Guardian.

“We are heartbroken by the sudden and senseless loss of our beloved Boris and Sofia Gurman,” the family told the Sydney Morning Herald. “They had been married for 34 years, with their 35th wedding anniversary approaching in January. We were looking forward to celebrating Sofia’s 62nd birthday on Wednesday 17th of December.

“While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness,” the family continued.

“This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were — people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others.”

Boris was a retired mechanic and Sofia worked for Australia Post, their family said.

The couple were Bondi Beach locals and described by their loved ones as an “honest” and “hardworking” couple who were “devoted” to their family and treated everyone with respect and kindness.

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“They were the heart of our family, and their absence has left an immeasurable void,” the statement concluded.

A GoFundMe page created by the couple’s close friends to support their surviving family members had raised more than AUS$170,000 (CAD 157,000) as of Tuesday afternoon.

The owner of the dashcam footage told Reuters that Gurman “did not run away — instead, he charged straight toward the danger, using all his strength trying to wrestle away the gun and fighting to the death.”

“I can see from my camera that the elderly man was ultimately shot and collapsed. That moment broke my heart,” she said.

At least 16 people were killed in Sunday’s mass shooting, New South Wales Police said in a statement on Monday, including one of the two suspected gunmen. The attack has been described as a “terror-related” incident by the state’s police commissioner.

Forty-two people were injured while attending the celebration marking the first night of Hanukkah, including two police officers who sustained gunshot wounds.

Six people remain in critical condition and 27 are in serious and stable conditions.

Both officers remain in serious but stable condition, police said.

The second suspected shooter sustained critical injuries and is in hospital.

The Gurmans, who were Jewish, were the first to be killed in Sunday’s attack, the Herald reported. Also among the dead are a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor. Authorities are still working to identify the remaining victims, who they say are aged between 10 and 87.

Detectives and counter-terrorism investigators retrieved six firearms from the scene, as well as three improvised explosive devices, police said.

The Gurmans were not the only civilians to put themselves in harm’s way in an attempt to take down an attacker. Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old man, has been hailed a hero for successfully disarming one of the two suspects who had opened fire from a sidewalk next to the beach.

Footage of the ordeal shows Ahmed tackling the suspect to the ground, taking his gun and forcing him to retreat by pointing the weapon at the suspect.

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‘He’s a hero’: Family, witnesses commend man who tackled Bondi Beach shooter

Ahmed was shot in the shoulder by the second assailant and is recovering in hospital.

In an interview from his hospital bed on Monday, he told reporters, “What can I even say? I went through a tough time [that] only God knows about” before asking for prayers and sending positive messages to Australians amid the devastation.

On Monday night, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns paid tribute to the victims and showed support to the Jewish community in an Instagram post.

“Tonight, on the second night of the Jewish festival of Chanukah, we laid wreaths to honour and pay tribute to the victims of the horrific terrorist attack in Bondi and their families,” he wrote.

“Chanukah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. On this, the second night of Chanukah, we light candles together, and unite against the darkness,” the post continued.

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