The daughter of 62-year-old Reuven Morrison has identified her father as the man seen in widely shared footage appearing to hurl bricks at one of the attackers during Sunday’s Bondi Beach terror attack.
Morrison, a member of Sydney’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community, was killed while confronting one of the gunmen who opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration, leaving 15 people dead and several others injured.
Footage verified by CBS News showed Morrison throwing objects at a shooter after Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit seller, wrestled the weapon from the attacker in an effort to stop the rampage.
Speaking to CBS News, Morrison’s daughter Sheina Gutnick said her father’s instinct was to protect others — even at the cost of his own life.
“I believe after Ahmed managed to get the gun off the terrorist, my father had then gone to try and unjam the gun, to try and attempt shooting. He was screaming at the terrorist,” she said.
“My dear father, Reuven Morrison was shot dead for being Jewish at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach while protecting lives, while jumping up, putting his own life at risk to save his fellow Jewish community members.”
Morrison was born in the former Soviet Union and fled antisemitic persecution decades ago before settling in Australia, where he raised his family. Gutnick said her father believed this country would be safe, describing his death as a heartbreaking betrayal of that trust.
She accused Australian authorities of ignoring repeated warnings from Jewish groups about the rise of antisemitic extremism and said many within the community no longer feel safe celebrating their faith in public.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as “an antisemitic act of terror” and pledged his government’s full support for the victims and their families.
“The Jewish community are hurting today,” he said. “Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge, and we will eradicate it together.”
NSW Police said one of the two suspects was killed during the attack, while the younger man remains in a coma. Investigators continue to examine their backgrounds and have confirmed links to ISIS.
“It would appear that there is evidence that this was inspired by a terrorist organisation, by ISIS. Some of the evidence which is being procured, including the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized, are part of that,” Albanese said in a press conference today.
Friends and family have remembered Morrison as brave and selfless — a man who “went down fighting” and refused to turn away when others were in danger.
Gutnick said her father’s final moments summed up the kind of person he was.
“If there was one way for him to go on this earth, it would be fighting a terrorist,” she said. “There was no other way he would be taken from us. He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most.”
Lead image: 9News / Getty
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