The aunt of one of the youngest Bondi Beach massacre victims says she couldn’t stop screaming when the girl’s mother called her, saying: ‘The doctors couldn’t save her, she died’.
Matilda, ten, and her sister Summer, six, were celebrating ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ at the Sydney beach with their parents, Valentina and Michael, about 6.40pm on Sunday when Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire.
Fourteen people died at the scene, while a further 42 were taken to hospitals across Sydney. Matilda was shot in the stomach and was one of those who died in hospital overnight, taking the death toll to 16.
Summer had no physical injuries and was quickly taken away from the beach, but she watched Matilda get shot and kept asking, ‘Is my sister dead?’
Their aunt Lina told the Daily Mail that Matilda’s grandmother had initially called her to say the young girl had been shot.
At the time, they thought she had been hit in the leg and the doctors needed to remove the bullet.
‘I thought she might lose her leg, people can live without legs and I thought I’d push her around in a wheelchair if she needed – whatever happened, we’d look after her,’ Lina said.
When Matilda’s mother called to say she died in hospital, Lina was so shocked she couldn’t stop screaming.
One of the last photos taken of Matilda and her little sister Summer at the Chanukah by the Sea event on Sunday
Lina with Matilda (centre) and Summer (left) during a trip to the zoo a few weeks ago. It was their last family photo
Thousands of people fled Bondi Beach on Sunday evening as gunshots rang out
She said she could not comprehend what had just been told to her.
‘I asked her to tell me again and again, and I was saying ‘it can’t be, it’s not real’,’ she recalled. ‘I still can’t believe it’s real – I’m hoping I will wake up and someone will tell me it isn’t true.’
It was only two weeks ago that they had their last family photo at Sydney Zoo.
‘This was the last happy family picture, and they were all so happy,’ she said.
‘In that moment, you’re not thinking it’s the last photo but then reality hits.’
Lina remembered Matilda as a happy and affectionate kid who loved school and had a lot of friends
‘I hope it’s never happening again to any family. We’re going through beyond devastation,’ she said.
‘Matilda was beautiful, sweet happy young girl.’
Summer, six, and Matilda, ten, are pictured on Sunday at the Jewish festival
Matilda was shot in the stomach and died in hospital after doctors tried to save her life
The parents of Matilda embrace during a memorial at Bondi Pavilion on Monday evening
Hundreds of people turned out for the memorial to honour those gunned down in the tragedy
Specialist police officers are seen at Bondi Beach on Sunday
An online fundraiser set up to support Matilda’s mother, Valentina Poltavchenko, raised almost $90,000 within a few hours.
The donation initiative was set up by the ten-year-old’s language teacher, Irina Goodhew.
‘I was Matilda’s language teacher, and I knew her as a bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her,’ Ms Goodhew wrote.
Other victims included British-born Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, French national Dan Elkayam, 27, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, beloved husband and father Tibor Weitzen and Wellington Street synagogue assistant Reuven Morrison.
Randwick Rugby Club first-grade team manager Peter Meagher had been on assignment as a freelance photographer at the Chanukah By the Sea event when he was among those who died.
Sajid was shot dead by police during the massacre.
Naveed Akram was rushed to hospital under police guard in critical condition after the attack
The 50-year-old father from Sydney’s west was shot dead at the scene by police
His son, Naveed Akram, is in hospital under police guard after being shot. He is expected to survive and will ‘likely’ face criminal charges, police have revealed.
‘Based on his medical condition, it’s likely that person may face criminal charges,’ NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters on Monday.
READ MORE: Infuriating moment woman disrupts Bondi Beach terror attack vigil
READ MORE: Pig heads placed on Muslim graves in Sydney cemetery
READ MORE: Who is Naveed Akram? Alleged Bondi Beach terrorist’s former schoolmates speak out
‘I’m very mindful of not prejudicing any prosecution of that person put before the court.’
Lanyon confirmed that Sajid met the eligibility criteria for the category AB firearms licence that he held.
‘He was a member of a gun club and was entitled, by nature of the Firearms Act, to have a firearms licence issued,’ he added.
Sydney’s most iconic beach descended into chaos following the mass shooting
NSW Premier Chris Minns added: ‘The firearms registry conducts a thorough examination of all applications to ensure a person is fit and proper to hold a firearms licence.’
Lanyon also called for calm in the community.
‘Retribution or acts against any part of any community will not be accepted,’ he said.
‘We will have a significant policing presence. This is a time for the community to come together.
‘This is a time that police will take action to make sure the community feels safe.’