Witnesses Recall ‘Traumatizing’ Mass Shooting During Hanukkah Beach Event: ‘I’ve Seen a Brain on the Ground’

Survivors and bystanders are sharing harrowing accounts after a mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach during the Chanukah by the Sea festival left at least 12 people dead and 29 others injured.

Authorities said the attack unfolded as community members gathered at Archer Park. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters that two gunmen opened fire on the crowd. Minns said one of the suspected shooters was killed at the scene, while a second suspect is now in custody. Police are also investigating whether a third person may have been involved, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.

Witnesses described a scene of panic and devastation as families — including children — tried to flee. One eyewitness told CBS News the violence was unlike anything he had ever seen, describing the experience as deeply traumatizing.

Another person who attended the festival told Al-Jazeera the area quickly became chaotic, with people helping older attendees escape while others lay injured on the ground.

A woman told the Associated Press she grabbed a screaming child amid the turmoil, saying she held the child to keep them safe as the crowd scattered.

A man also told the Associated Press he was outside smoking when he heard gunfire and saw people sprinting away. He said the sudden shift from an ordinary moment to an emergency was shocking, even for someone who doesn’t frighten easily.

Witness Finn Green told The Guardian he saw two people get shot before running home and hiding. He said he watched an older woman fall and an older man badly injured, then saw people screaming and running toward him while he struggled to understand what was happening.

Another eyewitness, Adrian, told The Guardian that confusion made the danger feel even worse. He said people didn’t know where to run and tried to move away from the beach because they feared the threat was still close.

Australian broadcaster Michael Vaughan also posted about the incident on X, saying he was locked inside a restaurant in Bondi during the emergency before later making it home safely. He thanked first responders and expressed sympathy for those affected.