Скачать или смотреть Hostage in Sydney siege 'killed by police bullet ricochet'

An Inquest hears that one of the hostages, Katrina Dawson, held during a siege at an Australian café last month was killed by a ricochet of at least one police bullet that also injured three other hostages

A hostage who died during the siege in a downtown Sydney café was killed when she was struck by fragments of a bullet or bullets fired from a police officer's gun as authorities stormed building to end the 16-hour standoff, a lawyer told an inquest on Thursday.

Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old lawyer, was among 18 people taken hostage last month by lone gunman Man Horan Monis.

She died after being hit by six fragments of a police bullet or bullets that had ricocheted off a hard surface, according to the lawyer assisting the coroner.

One fragment struck a major blood vessel and she quickly lost consciousness, he said.

Another hostage, 34-year-old café manager Tori Johnson, was killed after the gunman forced him to kneel on the floor and then fired into the back of his head with a sawed-off shotgun, the lawyer said.

Mr Johnson was believed to have died immediately.

The details of the deaths of Dawson and Johnson came on the opening day of the inquest into last month's siege at the Lindt Cafe.

Officials had previously refused to say whether the hostages died at Monis' hand or were caught in police crossfire.

The gunman himself was killed when the police stormed the café.

The inquest, a court-like proceeding convened after unusual deaths in Australia, is aimed at determining how the hostages and Monis died, and whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

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