Dashcam Captures Bravery Moments Before Tragedy
Recently uncovered video from a vehicle's dashboard camera reveals a couple in their sixties attempting to prevent a violent assault at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Australia just before it occurred. The footage shows Boris Gurman, 69, seizing a firearm from one of two attackers as they were removing weapons from their vehicle, which displayed an ISIS flag on its windshield.
After confronting the assailant, Gurman was shot and killed on the pavement. Shortly after, his wife Sofia, 61, also lost her life to gunfire.
"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness," their family stated in a release reported by CBS News partner BBC News.
"This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were — people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others," the family added.
Community Mourns First Victims
The Jewish pair were the initial casualties in the shooting aimed at the Jewish community, which resulted in at least 15 deaths and numerous injuries. Married for 34 years, Boris Gurman was a retired mechanic recognized for his kindness, while Sofia Gurman was employed by Australia's postal service and cherished by coworkers, according to family members.
"Bondi locals, together they lived honest, hardworking lives and treated everyone they met with kindness, warmth and respect," the family's statement noted. "Boris and Sofia were devoted to their family and to each other. They were the heart of our family, and their absence has left an immeasurable void."
Other Acts of Courage Highlighted
Authorities indicated the attack might have been more severe without the heroic actions of individuals who endangered themselves to intervene. Sheina Gutnick mentioned her father Reuven Morrison was among these heroes, seen on video hurling bricks at the gunmen before being slain.
"He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved the most," Gutnick remarked.
She attributed the assault partly to increasing antisemitism. "I feel betrayed by the government," she expressed. "I feel the signs were coming for a long, long time."
Ahmed al Ahmed, a local fruit store proprietor who relocated to Australia from Syria, was also recorded tackling a gunman from behind and disarming a rifle directed at the gathering.
Al Ahmed, 42, was recuperating from gunshot injuries in a Sydney hospital on Tuesday when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited. The Prime Minister stated al Ahmed was set for additional surgery on Wednesday for wounds to his left shoulder and upper torso, calling it a privilege to meet him.
"He is a true Australian hero," Albanese told journalists after spending roughly 30 minutes with al Ahmed and his parents, who recently arrived in Australia, at the medical facility.
"We are a brave country. Ahmed al Ahmed represents the best of our country. We will not allow this country to be divided. That is what the terrorists seek," Albanese affirmed. "We will unite. We will embrace each other, and we'll get through this."
