Hero cop left behind crucial ammo and protective gear as he sprinted towards the Bondi Beach terror attack
Detective Senior Constable Cesar Barraza, credited with helping stop the Bondi Beach terror attack on 14 December, has revealed he ran towards the gunfire without his bulletproof vest, spare ammunition, body-worn camera or phone after hearing a colleague had been shot. His account, detailed in a new book, Bondi Terror by Alex Ryvchin and Sharri Markson, highlights the split-second bravery of first responders during Australia's deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which left 15 people dead.
Barraza, a 16-year police veteran who had been posted to Bondi only six weeks earlier, took cover behind a tree roughly 40 metres from two alleged gunmen near Bondi Pavilion and fired the shot that killed Sajid Akram, 50, before exchanging fire with the accused's son, Naveed Akram, who was eventually shot and apprehended. Barraza later discovered he had just three bullets left in his magazine when the exchange ended. Naveed Akram now faces 78 charges, including 15 counts of murder and 43 of attempted murder, with more than 8,000 witness statements and pieces of evidence lodged in the case against him.
In short
- Officer Cesar Barraza ran unarmed of gear towards the Bondi Beach attack
- He killed one gunman and helped subdue the second with three bullets left
- Attack killed 15; accused Naveed Akram faces 78 charges including murder
Explained simply
Mass shootings are exceptionally rare in Australia, where the 1996 Port Arthur massacre led to major changes to gun laws. The Bondi Beach attack on 14 December was the country’s deadliest mass shooting since then, leaving 15 people dead.
Police officers and other first responders were among those who ran towards the gunfire. Barraza was a detective senior constable, a rank in the New South Wales Police, and had been posted to Bondi six weeks earlier; two alleged gunmen were involved in the attack.