The homemade black Islamic State flag was draped over the windscreen of the silver Hyundai.
Parked next to the footbridge, where thousands cross from Campbell Parade to Bondi Beach each day, its murderous symbolism was picked up by Boris and Sofia Gurman, two North Bondi locals who attempted to stop one of Australia’s most deadly terrorist attacks before a bullet could be fired.
They would pay for their bravery with their lives.
The Russian-Jewish couple were walking along Campbell Parade on Sunday afternoon as Sajid Akram emerged from behind the IS flag on his hatchback.
Dashcam footage from a passing motorist shows Boris, 69, did not hesitate as Akram opened his car door, tackling him onto the road of one of Sydney’s busiest beach boulevards, disarming the 50-year-old and forcing the rifle from his hands.
As others hid behind a bus stop, Boris picked up Akram’s rifle, aiming it at his assailant as other cars drove by, drivers seemingly unaware of the carnage that was about to unfold.
The footage shows Boris momentarily having the upper hand, threatening Akram with his own gun while his wife Sofia, 61, joins him in an attempt to force the gunman to retreat before his planned massacre could begin.
But Akram does not yield, charging at Boris before picking up another rifle.
The dashcam footage then cuts out. Another angle taken moments later reveals the horrible truth.
The pair were executed at close range. Boris and Sofia, who have been married for 34 years, died in each other’s arms.
“We are heartbroken by the sudden and senseless loss of our beloved Boris and Sofia Gurman,” the family said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
Boris and Sofia Gurman were killed in the Bondi Beach attack on Sunday.Credit: Courtesy of the Gurman family
“In recent days, we have become aware of footage showing Boris, with Sofia by his side, courageously attempting to disarm an attacker in an effort to protect others. While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness.
“This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were – people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others.”
Boris, a retired mechanic, and Sofia, an Australia Post employee, were the first victims of a rampage by Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, that would kill 13 others, including men, women and 10-year-old Matilda an hour before sunset on Bondi Beach.
Drone footage shows the Gurmans holding each other, lying next to the car draped in the Islamic State flag, as Sajid and Naveed continue firing bullets from the bridge.
“Boris and Sofia were devoted to their family and to each other,” the Gurman family said. “They were the heart of our family, and their absence has left an immeasurable void.”
NSW Police confirmed on Tuesday that two improvised explosive devices were later found inside the Hyundai, as was another homemade IS flag.
The casualty list would have been far greater if not for the actions of the Gurmans and other Sydney heroes, including Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed Sajid just metres away from where the Gurmans were killed, and Reuven Morrison, who threw bricks at Sajid as he retreated towards the footbridge.
Morrison, 62, was killed trying to protect his community from the gunmen, despite being unarmed and alone as he charged towards them.
When his daughter, Sheina Gutnick, saw the footage of her father charging the shooters, she recognised him at once. “That’s my dad,” she said.
“I have friends who were hiding their babies under them on the ground who told me, ‘Your dad saved us’ because he took minutes off the shooting – he got the shooters away from the scene of people.
“If there was one way for him to go on this earth, it would be fighting a terrorist. There was no other way he would be taken from us. He went down fighting protecting the people he loved most.”
Ahmed, the second man to disarm Sajid, snuck up on the gunman less than 100 metres from where the gunman had murdered the man in the purple shirt and his partner.
After hiding behind the boot of a car in the car park, he lunged at Sajid as he fired at the festival, wresting the gun from him and forcing him to retreat.
Ahmed, who was shot five times in his left arm, is recovering from surgery at St George Hospital.
“He’s not well at all. He’s riddled with bullets. Our hero is struggling at the moment,” Sam Issa, Ahmed’s migration lawyer, said on Monday night.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Ahmed “a true Australian hero” on Tuesday after visiting him in hospital.
“He was trying to get a cup of coffee, simple as that, and found himself at a moment where people were being shot in front of him,” Albanese said. “He decided to take action and his bravery is an inspiration for all Australians.”
Two police, Constable Scott Dyson and Probationary Constable Jack Hibbert, were seriously injured in the shooting and remain in hospital. Images from Bondi on Sunday night show the windscreen of a police car riddled with bullet holes.
Ian Allwood, acting president of the NSW Police Association, said Dyson, 25, remained in intensive care.
“Scott has significant injuries and complex injuries,” Allwood said. “He’s still in intensive care and will be for some time. There will be further surgeries that he will need. His rehab is going to be complex and long. He’s been seriously injured by a couple of gunshot wounds.
“It’s every parent’s nightmare. You send your kid to work, proud of him, and he gets covered in bullets. It’s not fair. He doesn’t deserve that.”
Footage released on Tuesday showed the moment a Bondi detective appeared to fatally shoot Sajid minutes after he was disarmed by Ahmed and returned to the bridge where the pair first launched their deadly assault.
Sajid retrieved another gun from his son before taking his position on the bridge.
The footage, circulated on social media, shows the police officer taking cover by a tree before firing his service weapon towards the footbridge.
NSW Police has not yet formally identified the officer who fatally shot Sajid.
Naveed, who suffered critical injuries, remains under police guard in hospital.
With Kate Aubusson, Kayla Olaya and Riley Walter
More coverage on the Bondi terror attack
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He was previously North Asia correspondent. Reach him securely on Signal @bagshawe.01Connect via Twitter.
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