Terrorist shooting shattered night of ‘peace and joy’

With its sparkling water, dramatic sunsets and rolling white sands, Bondi Beach is an Australian icon that’s always packed with groups of family, friends and tourists.

So when gunshots rang out from Archer Park, a pleasant grassy area with a playground, many witnesses at first mistook the noise for festive fireworks on Sunday night.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said hundreds of people gathered for the Hanukkah by the Sea event to mark the start of the Jewish festival of Hannukah. He said the event was meant to be “a night of peace and joy.”

NSW Police said late Sunday that 12 people were killed and at least 29 others were injured when gunmen opened fire from a footbridge at about 6.47pm.

When filming began, Sydney native Catherine Merchant was walking on the beach, one of her favorite things to do.

“Everyone was running, there were bullets and there were so many of them we were really scared,” Ms Merchant told ABC News through tears.

Ms. Merchant said she didn’t know whether to hide in the bushes, crouch behind rocks or run south to the Icebergs restaurant.

“Bondi is a very special place for me,” he said.

“When I’m feeling good, when I’m not feeling well I’m always walking on water and I’m always taking a million boring photos with Bondi and the sun setting.

“It was such a perfect day and then this happened.”

A security guard and Jewish priest identified as Vlaj said he pushed his eight-year-old son to the ground to protect an injured colleague before he fell on top of them.

“Probably 50-60 gunshots. It was non-stop,” he told Sky News.

When the shooting stopped, Vlaj frantically began to help his wounded colleague and then tried to save lives.

“People from our community. People we know well. People we see often are dead,” he said.

A French tourist said he became the target of gunmen hours before his first swim in Bondi on his second day in the country.

A British man living in an apartment near the beach said he thought he heard fireworks while on a video call with his family in London.

He told ABC News that his family urged him to hide and he hid in his closet.

Another eyewitness, who lives in South Bondi, said he heard gunshots and initially did not believe it could be a shooting.

“It was just like any other Sunday arvo in Bondi, there were lots of people and families there and it was a hot arvo,” he told ABC News.

While restaurants and backpacker hostels opened their doors to anyone needing shelter, people were hiding wherever possible, he said.

“The buses were packed, people were trying to get in,” the local said.

“They’re just running for their lives.”