Café siege victim died from bullet ricochet

A HOSTAGE who died during the Sydney café siege was killed by fragments of a police bullet as armed officers moved to end the 16-hour stand-off, an inquest has been told.

Katrina Dawson, 38, who was among 18 people taken hostage by a gunman last month, died after being hit by six fragments of the bullet that ricocheted off a hard surface, Jeremy Gormly, a lawyer assisting the coroner, told Glebe Coroner’s Court. The bullet struck a major blood vessel and she quickly lost consciousness, he said.

The revelation came on the opening day of the inquest into the siege at the Lindt Chocolat Café, where horrific details of the attack unfolded publicly for the first time, including how the 34-year-old eatery manager was murdered while on his knees.

Gunman Man Horan Monis forced Tori Johnson to kneel on the floor, then shot him in the back of his head with a sawn-off shotgun, Mr Gormly said.

He is believed to have died instantly.

A police marksman witnessed Mr Johnson’s killing, prompting officers to move in.

Monis, 50, an Iranian-born, self-styled cleric with a long criminal record, took the customers and workers inside captive and forced them to outline his demands in a series of online videos .

The stand-off finally ended when police stormed the café in a barrage of gunfire to free the captives, killing Monis.

Authorities had previously refused to say whether the hostages died at Monis’s hand or were caught in police crossfire.

The inquest is aimed at determining how they and Monis died, and whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

The inquest continues.