Sydney siege: Inside the Lindt Cafe after police shot and killed Man Haron Monis
DRAMATIC footage showing the Lindt Cafe gunman sprawled out on the floor has been shown for the first time.
DRAMATIC footage showing the Lindt Cafe siege gunman sprawled out on the floor next to a large smear of blood, surrounded by shattered glass, debris and upturned chairs, has been released.
The final moments of the bloody standoff were recreated using 3D imaging and played at the inquest earlier this month into the deaths arising from the siege.
The footage you can see above was released to the public today and has been heavily blacked out by police.
Among the clips played for NSW Coroner Michael Barnes was a recreation of gunman Man Haron Monis’ position in the cafe when he executed manager Tori Johnson, 34.
NSW Police crime scene officer Dominic Raneri recreated the end of the siege with state-of-the-art laser scanners in a series of ‘fly-through’ videos.
The ‘fly-through’ clips took in everything from the devastation inside the cafe to the areas surrounding it, including Elizabeth St to Macquarie St in Martin Place.
The recreations were made to determine how the final moments of the siege ended with two innocent people killed, several hostages and a police officer wounded, and the gunman dead.
Tactical police stormed the Martin Place cafe and opened fire during the early hours of December 16, 2014, to end the 17-hour siege. Mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, 38, died after she was hit by fragments of a police bullet. The gunman was also killed.
Using audio analysis, investigators were able to confirm Monis fired shots at six incoming police — just 10m away — first.
A 3D reconstruction showed Monis standing behind a chair when police returned fire and shot 22 bullets towards him.
The technology also enabled bullet trajectories to be reconstructed, and for the crime scene to be viewed from any angle, during and in the aftermath of the stand-off.
The inquest previously heard that Monis might have been reloading his sawn off shotgun while standing behind a chair when police opened fire.
The chair was struck by 10 bullets, and that those bullets may have travelled through the chair before fragmenting and striking Monis.
One of the reconstructions showed Ms Dawson taking shelter behind Monis in the northwest corner of the cafe.
The inquest heard that Ms Dawson was lying face down with her hands above her head when tactical police stormed in.
Mr Raneri said Ms Dawson suffered cuts on the backs of her hands caused by small fragments of wood probably from the chair — which was consistent with her having placed her hands above her head for protection.
She was hit by seven fragments of police bullets as she lay on the floor, beneath a chair behind where Monis was killed.
One of the post shootout videos showed Monis sprawled out on the floor of the cafe next to a large smear of blood and surrounded by shattered glass, debris and upturned chairs.
His arms were out at right angles to his body, his right leg straight and his left leg bent. His head pointed towards the main Phillip St entrance through which the first officers, with Alpha team, entered and fired 22 bullets.
Monis’ body was blacked out from the reconstruction video before it was released by the inquest today.
As many as 13 or 14 bullets hit Monis as he was reloading his shotgun, the inquest has heard.
Ms Dawson’s parents, Alexander and Jane, sat through the graphic and “confronting” 3D reconstruction videos.
Counsel assisting the inquest into the deaths arising from the siege, Jason Downing warned the footage was “very confronting” and reminded those present, including former hostage Louisa Hope, 53, and family members of deceased hostage Ms Dawson, that they were free to leave the room at any point. Ms Dawson’s parents and Ms Hope — who have attended the inquest most days — stayed.
One of the videos played at the inquest showed Ms Hope’s silhouette lit up in the middle of the door way by a series of flash bangs as police raided the cafe. She sustained gunshot wounds to her abdomen and ankle and still has shrapnel in her body today.
Outside the court, Ms Hope told reporters that watching the reconstruction had filled in gaps in her memory of the siege.
“I can only be amazed at how we got out ... how amazing it is that we are not dead,” she said.
“From my own mind I can remember a lot of things.
“But I have a very definite 15, 30, 60 second gap in my memory that I’ve been hoping I can clarify with this testimony.”
Ms Hope said that the surviving hostages dealt with the trauma in different ways but that it was important for her to attend the inquest.
“Coming to the inquest is out of respect for Tori and Katrina and every single person who was in that siege ... honouring them,” Ms Hope said.