A BONDI cop who took down an alleged ISIS-linked killer with a “shot of a lifetime” has been revealed as a softly spoken detective with a simple reason for wearing the badge.
Detective Senior Constable Cesar Barraza is the hero officer believed to have fired the fatal shot that ended Sunday’s beachfront massacre.
Barraza, a 16-year NSW Police veteran and former cybercrime detective, reportedly opened fire from about 40 metres away as alleged gunmen Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, targeted members of the Jewish community during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
His bullets are believed to have killed Sajid and critically wounded Naveed.
Wearing office attire rather than tactical gear, Barraza raced into the chaos after reports of an active shooter.
He took cover behind a tree near Bondi Pavilion and aimed toward a footbridge where the attackers allegedly stood.
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Barraza then fired with a standard-issue Glock pistol, a weapon usually considered truly accurate only at close range.
The long-distance hit has been hailed internally as extraordinary, with officers describing it as a “shot of a lifetime”.
Critical incident investigators interviewed Barraza on Wednesday morning as they continue reviewing body-worn camera footage and analysing the police response.
While Barraza is believed to have fired the fatal shot, ballistics testing is still underway to formally confirm which officer’s weapon killed the older Akram.
Long before Sunday’s bloodshed, Barraza appeared as a fresh-faced recruit on the 2000s reality TV series Recruits.
Asked then why he wanted to join the police force, he answered with only four words: “Because I hate crime.”
It comes as it emerged only two uniformed officers were on duty at the Hanukkah by the Sea event when the shooting began.
NSW Premier Chris Minns told Sky News Australia: “The police were tasked with being on the site during the festival.
“My understanding is that there were two in the park during or at the beginning of the shooting, the assassinations.”
“And there were police in the vicinity, so a patrol car pulled up within moments of the firing beginning,” he said.
“I think it’s important to note that police, obviously, when the shooting began, did engage the shooters and there’s two in critical condition in NSW hospitals.”
Witnesses have said the attackers allegedly fired into the crowd for up to 10 minutes as families marked the Jewish festival of lights, The Times of Israel reports.
The horror shooting left 15 people dead and 42 wounded in what authorities have described as the deadliest antisemitic attack outside Israel in decades.
Civilian heroism also emerged amid the carnage.
Syrian-born tobacconist Ahmed Al-Ahmed tackled one of the suspected gunmen near the bridge and took away his rifle before being shot multiple times.
His lawyer said he may lose his left arm, and that despite worldwide praise, he now faces imminent removal from Australia due to unresolved visa issues.
“He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again,” said the lawyer.
A 14-year-old girl shot in the attack has also been hailed a heroine after using her injured body to shield two children whose mums lay dead nearby.
Police claim Sajid and Naveed Akram arrived at Bondi Beach in a silver Hyundai Elantra just before 6.40pm, armed with rifles and ammunition strapped to their waists.
The pair had reportedly been staying in a short-term rental in Campsie after travelling to the Philippines weeks earlier – a trip now under scrutiny over possible extremist influence.
Naveed remains in hospital under police guard after waking from a coma on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.