In the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack, parents of three-year-old Gigi have spoken out to honor the stranger who courageously saved their daughter’s life.
The attack unfolded during a Chanukah by the Sea event on Sunday, December 14, marking the first night of Hanukkah.
Reportedly, two gunmen opened fire on hundreds of families gathered for the celebration, leaving 15 deceased and 42 others injured and hospitalized.
Among them was a woman named Jess, who shielded Gigi with her bleeding body as gunfire erupted around them, protecting her from harm.
A complete stranger hid three-year-old Gigi beneath her bleeding body to shield the child from gunfire
Image credits: Janie Barrett/Getty Images
Gigi’s parents, Wayne and Vanessa, who share three children, were visiting Archer Park, a grassy area and playground near the beach and the Bondi Pavilion, when the armed attack began.
Reportedly, the couple had been at opposite ends of the park and immediately sought shelter as shots rang out, with Wayne forced to hide under a nearby table alongside their daughter, Capri.
Their other child was with Vanessa, and the two parents frantically called each other amid the chaos to confirm the whereabouts of their youngest child, Gigi.
When neither of them could locate her, “absolute panic” began to set in.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, Wayne recalled, “Maybe a minute later Vanessa called and said: ‘Have you got Gigi?’, and I’m like I don’t have Gigi, she didn’t have Gigi and that’s when the absolute panic just set in.”
According to the mother, Gigi had been dancing in the grass right in front of her just moments earlier before “she was gone.”
“All I can do is scream: ‘Where is my family? Where’s my little girl? Where’s my little girl?’”
Wayne expressed his gratitude to Jess, saying he was “indebted to you for the rest of my life” for saving his daughter
The mother of three frantically began searching for her child when a New South Wales Police officer, who “had been sh*t in the head,” grabbed her and attempted to force her to get down for her own safety.
She told the outlet, “I actually tried to grab the policeman’s g*n and he grabbed me. I was ready to just get in there and just – I didn’t know what to do. I could just see blood everywhere and then I stayed down.”
After waiting for what “felt like hours,” Wayne and their other daughter Capri were reunited with Vanessa once the gunfire stopped.
Wayne then handed Capri to Vanessa and immediately went searching for their missing daughter.
Recalling the moment, he said, “I went, I was looking, there was just blood and bodies everywhere and she was wearing a pink skirt and I saw this lady lying on top of her.”
Image credits: Associated Press
The woman, later identified as Jess, had also been injured and was bleeding but reassured him, saying, “I’ve got your daughter, I’ve been protecting her.”
As he reunited with Gigi, Wayne expressed his emotional gratitude to Jess, telling her, “You’ve saved my daughter’s life. I said I’ll be indebted to you for the rest of my life.”
Wayne remained with Jess and “spoke to her for about 10 minutes” before she was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Nearby, he also saw the “lifeless” body of another woman lying on the ground.
Jess sustained a bullet injury but survived and was transported to the hospital for treatment
Expressing his horror at the incident that has shaken the entire nation, he said, “It was the most appalling experience that this can happen in Australia and we’re just lying there and sh*ts were coming. We were like sitting ducks.”
“I feel bad that there was nothing more that I can do but I had two little children and I just had to get them out of there.”
Mass sh**tings are extremely rare in Australia, and the Bondi attack is being described as one of the country’s most devastating incidents since the Port Arthur attack in 1996, when 35 people lost their lives.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed the Bondi Beach attack was a terr*rist incident, stating that it specifically targeted a Jewish community event held on the first night of Hanukkah.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemned the violence, calling it “an act of evil, antisemitism, terr*rism that has struck the heart of our nation,” adding that “an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
In light of the tragedy, Anthony also vowed to strengthen the country’s firearm laws.
According to reports, the gunmen legally possessed six firearms under a recreational hunting license, all of which were allegedly used in the attack.
Australian authorities officially declared the tragic incident a terr*r attack on the evening of December 14, hours after the sh**ting took place
As the investigation remains ongoing, on Monday morning (December 15), Commissioner Mal Lanyon revealed the identities of both attackers during a press conference.
The suspects were identified as father and son, Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram.
Sajid reportedly arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, which was later converted to a partner visa in 2001, followed by a resident return visa. His 24-year-old son, Naveed, is an Australian-born citizen who worked as a bricklayer.
Image credits: Sky News
Sajid passed away at the scene following a police encounter, while Naveed remains in critical condition in hospital.
The horrific incident sparked an outpouring of solidarity and condemnation from world leaders, including Australia’s Head of State, King Charles III.
In a statement, the monarch said he was “appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terr*rist attack” to strike the nation.
“The lady who saved the child is an absolute hero,” echoed netizens, as Jess’s brave act saved the three-year-old
