Stranger saved 3-year-old girl’s life by shielding her with own body while being shot at during Bondi attack
One couple has recalled the agonizing search for their three-year-old daughter after they were unable to locate her amid the shower of bullets that fell on Bondi Beach in Australia on December 14.
Parents Wayne and Vanessa Miller thought they may never find their daughter again when they discovered her missing during the attack, which unfolded on Sunday night at the popular beach location.
At 18.47pm local time, two gunmen opened fire and killed 15 people in a targeted attack against the Jewish community, who were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
One of the gunmen died at the scene while the other, believed to be his son, is in critical condition in hospital.
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When shots began firing, Wayne managed to grab one of his two daughters, called Capri, before diving for shelter beneath a table. "I just lay on top of her," he told Sky News Australia.
Little did he know, though, that his other daughter, Gigi, had gone astray after she'd been playing in the park close to her mother.
It was only when Vanessa called to ask if he had Gigi that he realized she was missing, and he had no idea that she was being kept safe by a complete stranger.
He explained: "Maybe a minute later, Vanessa called and said: 'Have you got Gigi?', and 'I'm like I don't have Gigi', she didn't have Gigi, and that's when the absolute panic just set in."
The panicked mom leapt into action to search for their child.
"All I can do is scream: 'Where is my family? Where's my little girl? Where's my little girl?' I saw her dancing for a second, and she was gone," Vanessa said.
As she fearlessly searched for her daughter's whereabouts, a New South Wales Police officer, who had been 'shot in the head', attempted to pull her down to safety, but the courageous mother fought on.
"I actually tried to grab the policeman's gun, and he grabbed me. I was ready to just get in there and just - I didn't know what to do. I could just see blood everywhere, and then I stayed down. The bullets stopped," Vanessa told the outlet.
Gigi's father, meanwhile, lay low for what 'felt like hours', eventually waiting for the shooting to stop before finding his wife to continue the frantic search for their child.
Handing their other daughter over to her mother, Wayne began desperately scanning to find Gigi, who had been wearing a pink t-shirt.
Much to the relief of both parents, Wayne eventually discovered their missing daughter beneath a woman.
The woman, whose name is Jess, told the father that she had been protecting Gigi from the attack, in turn enduring bullet wounds herself.
Gigi's protector was taken to the hospital and fortunately survived the horrific attack.
Before she was whisked to safety, Wayne told the outlet he had spent 10 minutes talking to Jess, expressing his gratitude and telling her he would forever be indebted to her kindness.
Wayne and Vanessa were just two of dozens caught in the fatal attack in Australia on Sunday, which took place as many people at the scene were attending an event to mark the first day of Hanukkah.
Police have called the incident a terrorist attack.
Alice Wade