1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:04,600 S1: Hi, it's Samantha Selinger. Morris here. We're releasing an additional 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:10,360 S1: episode today featuring one of our reporters, Elias. Elias recounts 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,880 S1: his firsthand experience of the shooting at Bondi while he 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,800 S1: was there with a friend. And if you're struggling with 5 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,680 S1: the bad news at the moment, support is available on 6 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:25,720 S1: lifeline 131114 or New South Wales Health mental Health line. 7 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:31,560 S1: It's available 24 over seven on 1800 011 511. 8 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,000 S2: I'm Elias Vazante, I'm a reporter at the Sydney Morning 9 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:42,320 S2: Herald and I was there at Bondi. I was swimming 10 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,320 S2: in the water when the gunshots started ringing out. Initially 11 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:51,000 S2: we thought they were fireworks, but soon we just realised 12 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:58,720 S2: they kept going. It was a pretty idyllic summer day. 13 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,600 S2: It was still nice and warm right near sunset. And 14 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,440 S2: so we just dashed down and as we'd parked and 15 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,039 S2: were walking to the water, Uh, me and a friend 16 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,720 S2: ran into someone we knew, and he asked us if 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,920 S2: we were going to the Hanukkah event. You know, as 18 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:18,119 S2: Jews in Sydney's pretty small but tight knit Jewish community, 19 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:20,800 S2: it's it's relatively common to run into someone, you know 20 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,720 S2: at Bondi Beach. And we told him that, look, we 21 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,720 S2: weren't there. We were there to swim. But, hey, we'd 22 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,360 S2: probably pass through on the way back. Hanukkah is a 23 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:36,679 S2: festival where we celebrate by eating oily foods, especially jam 24 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,280 S2: filled doughnuts, and the idea of a doughnut after a 25 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:40,400 S2: swim sounded great. 26 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,880 S3: How many? Why? It's enough just to fill Hanukkah. 27 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,680 S2: We obviously never got that doughnut. About 15 seconds after 28 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,280 S2: we first heard the gunshots and realized that they were gunshots, 29 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,800 S2: I kind of put two and two together, thought of 30 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:01,400 S2: that Hanukkah event, and very quickly started seeing people running 31 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:06,720 S2: from that direction. It was about 100m away, so we 32 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,520 S2: just raced out of the water and ran along with 33 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,200 S2: hundreds of other people from the beach, everyone still dripping 34 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:22,870 S2: in seawater. Sandy. And it was the northern part of Bondi. 35 00:02:23,230 --> 00:02:27,750 S2: And everyone basically ran upwards up the hill there and 36 00:02:28,669 --> 00:02:33,510 S2: up into the streets, suburban streets. And we were hiding. Basically, 37 00:02:33,950 --> 00:02:37,470 S2: people were taking cover behind garages and unit blocks. It 38 00:02:37,470 --> 00:02:39,350 S2: was a surreal experience. 39 00:02:40,470 --> 00:02:41,630 S4: Get on the ground. 40 00:02:43,630 --> 00:02:46,989 S2: It felt like the shots kept going for minutes. They 41 00:02:46,990 --> 00:02:52,829 S2: just didn't stop. It was excruciating. And when we finally 42 00:02:52,830 --> 00:02:57,630 S2: started to hear the sirens of first responders, then we 43 00:02:57,630 --> 00:03:00,750 S2: could hear there was a bit of resistance and then 44 00:03:01,550 --> 00:03:05,350 S2: the shots became less frequent. We were all kind of 45 00:03:05,870 --> 00:03:07,790 S2: trying to take cover, but peer in to see what 46 00:03:07,790 --> 00:03:12,110 S2: was happening. Finally, when we'd not heard gunshots for a 47 00:03:12,110 --> 00:03:17,510 S2: few minutes, we walked closer down to where the event was. 48 00:03:18,190 --> 00:03:21,350 S2: I'd parked right next to it And when we could 49 00:03:21,350 --> 00:03:26,390 S2: see ambulances arriving on scene, attending to people on the ground, 50 00:03:27,350 --> 00:03:29,830 S2: we realized it was best to get get out of 51 00:03:29,830 --> 00:03:32,389 S2: there as quick as we could. So we drove off 52 00:03:33,110 --> 00:03:37,830 S2: and basically as I was driving back towards my place 53 00:03:37,830 --> 00:03:40,790 S2: in Sydney's inner west, it was just a constant sea 54 00:03:40,830 --> 00:03:47,030 S2: of ambulances and first responders coming the other way. I 55 00:03:47,030 --> 00:03:49,150 S2: think it's a very tricky thing to know what to 56 00:03:49,190 --> 00:03:54,630 S2: do in a situation like this. One of the thoughts 57 00:03:54,630 --> 00:03:56,950 S2: that bizarrely ran through my head as I was driving 58 00:03:56,950 --> 00:04:00,750 S2: away from the scene, uh, was the fact that I'd 59 00:04:00,750 --> 00:04:03,550 S2: made off with my belongings still at the beach. My 60 00:04:03,550 --> 00:04:07,150 S2: sandals were still sitting on the sand. Uh, and then 61 00:04:07,150 --> 00:04:13,110 S2: very quickly you realise how insignificant that really is. I 62 00:04:13,110 --> 00:04:16,270 S2: think it's been an incredibly difficult time for the community here. 63 00:04:16,750 --> 00:04:20,390 S2: It just feels like with every hour that passes, you're 64 00:04:20,390 --> 00:04:24,310 S2: learning more of someone's friend or relative who has been 65 00:04:24,310 --> 00:04:26,820 S2: caught up in this, whether they were just at the 66 00:04:26,820 --> 00:04:31,339 S2: scene or increasingly hearing stories of people who've been injured 67 00:04:31,339 --> 00:04:37,219 S2: and and killed. I've heard stories of a friend's cousin who, um, 68 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:41,740 S2: was saved, thankfully, by a woman who they didn't know, who, uh, 69 00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:45,500 S2: stood in front and shielded them from a shot. That 70 00:04:45,500 --> 00:04:48,980 S2: woman's now in hospital. Uh, but I've heard other stories 71 00:04:48,980 --> 00:04:54,140 S2: of people who have not been that lucky. I think now, 72 00:04:54,860 --> 00:05:00,260 S2: as the community and the city at large, still responding 73 00:05:00,260 --> 00:05:03,779 S2: and grappling and coming to terms with what's happened, you 74 00:05:03,779 --> 00:05:08,060 S2: start to realize just how lucky someone like myself and 75 00:05:08,060 --> 00:05:10,220 S2: my friend were, that we were able to realize what 76 00:05:10,220 --> 00:05:12,700 S2: was happening so quickly and get to safety and the 77 00:05:12,700 --> 00:05:13,339 S2: way we did.