Lifeguard spotted tourist drowning while Bondi beach mass shooting was happening. He did the unthinkable instead of taking cover

Trigger Warning: The following story contains themes of gun violence that may be distressing for some readers. 

A perfect evening at Bondi Beach in Australia turned into life-threatening chaos when two gunmen opened fire, per The Telegraph. Crowds were gathered at the beach for the ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ event that was aimed at spreading joy and cheer. With over 50 shots fired, in a moment, thousands were running for their lives. With no idea about whether they would make it out with their families, good Samaritans came to the rescue of many, offering their homes as shelter, per The Sun. In the middle of all this, one tourist was drowning and instead of taking cover from the shooting, a lifeguard dove straight in. The tragic shooting took the lives of over 15 innocent people, but the heroic actions of the Bondi lifeguards saved lives, too. 

A bystander, Mike Ortiz, shared the harrowing experience. “It happened so fast. We heard gunshots and immediately everyone was running. Children were crying, people screaming,” he remarked. Arsen Ostrovsky, a prominent Jewish leader who was struck during the attack, recalled, “All of a sudden, it’s absolute chaos. There are guns, fire everywhere, people ducking. We didn’t know what was happening or where the gunfire was coming from.” Before he knew it, he was struck in the head. “I saw blood gushing in front of me. People were hit and fell to the ground. My only concern was: where are my kids, where’s my wife, where’s my family?” he said. 

People were running in different directions; their only motive was to get out alive. Some in their swimwear, others barefoot, all escaped in whatever state they could. Amid the chaos, a few heroes braved the odds to save lives. One of them was the Bondi Beach lifeguard, Daniel McLaughlin, per 9 News Australia. A post on X by @Sinnott74 captured several people hiding behind a buggy. However, when the lifeguard saw a man struggling in the waters, he abided by his call of duty and rushed to help. “Shout out to the beach lifeguard who, while shots were being fired, noticed someone in the water struggling, grabbed a board and went to rescue them,” the post read.

According to France 24, another hero, fruit seller Ahmed Al Ahmed, risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen. He snuck up on the man from behind and tackled him, managing to throw off his weapon. A hero highlighted was Rory Davey, another lifeguard, who spotted two surfers in need of rescue and rushed to their aid while the shooting was on. Several other teams, strangers, vendors and others came together to help in any and every capacity to keep people safe and even rescue them. 7 News Australia spoke to a few good Samaritans who helped shelter terrified beachgoers during the attack.

Oli Laumberg revealed that he was preparing dinner when he saw a few people sprinting towards him. When he looked out of his window, he described the scene like a “zombie apocalypse.” “Hundreds of people were sprinting up the hill and you can tell the terror they faced,” he remarked. He generously opened doors. Around 40 people took shelter on the rooftop of the building, while 8-10 were in Laumberg’s apartment. “One of them was having a panic attack and it was really tense,” he recalled. There’s no telling what could have gone down if many like Laumberg didn’t join with the heroes at Bondi Beach to save hundreds.

According to CBS News, one of the gunmen is dead and the other is critical in a hospital. While the internet’s sympathies go out to those who have lost loved ones and to those injured, they are also commending the frail hope these kind men put up. @GimpNFT said, “It didn’t need to happen but these heroes show true humanity.” @elfien18689 added, “This man and the man who subdued one of the shooters are Australian heroes.” 

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