Sydney shooting: 10 killed in mass shooting in Bondi Beach, several injured

Ten people, including a suspected gunman, have died following a mass shooting near Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, marking one of the deadliest such incidents in Australia in recent memory.

New South Wales Police confirmed that officers were called to Campbell Parade around 6:45pm after reports of multiple gunshots. Among the dead is a man believed to be one of two gunmen. The second alleged shooter remains in critical condition.

At least 11 others were injured, including two police officers. NSW Ambulance reported treating several additional patients at the scene.

Authorities said they found “a number of suspicious items” in the vicinity, which are being examined by specialist officers. An exclusion zone has been established, and police confirmed there were no linked incidents reported elsewhere in Sydney.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear. At the time, hundreds had gathered nearby for “Chanukah by the Sea,” an event celebrating the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. However, authorities have not confirmed if the gathering was a target.

Mass shootings are rare in Australia, which enacted some of the world’s strictest gun laws following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that left 35 people dead. Since then, only a handful of mass shooting incidents have occurred, often involving domestic violence.

Sunday’s attack is the most significant since the 2022 Wieambilla siege in Queensland, where two police officers and a neighbor were killed by extremists in a shootout that lasted several hours.