Couple shot while trying to stop Bondi Beach attack died in each other's arms

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Dec 16, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A couple just weeks away from celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary were shot — and then died in each others arms — while trying to disarm a gunman on Bondi Beach, where more than a dozen people were killed during a Hanukkah event on Sunday.

Dashcam video shared on Chinese social media platform RedNote, and verified by NBC News, captured the harrowing moment 69-year-old Boris Gurman, and his wife, 61-year-old Sofia, confronted one of two shooters as they opened fire during Hanukkah by the Sea, an annual celebration held at the famous beach in Sydney, Australia.

The Gurmans were on Campbell Parade, a road near Bondi Beach, when one of the suspects emerged from a silver car parked near a footbridge leading to the beach. The clip appears to show Boris, wearing shorts and a lavender shirt, struggling with a gun-wielding man in white pants and a black t-shirt near the vehicle. He eventually manages to wrestle the long-barreled firearm from the attacker as they both fall to the ground. Sofia can then be seen running toward the pair, making her way around around the car, which had a black flag with white writing draped across its windshield.

Authorities later recovered two homemade ISIS flags from the vehicle.

The video then shows Gurman standing up and pointing the firearm at the attacker, who then pulls out another gun. Police said both Gurman and his wife were shot at close range.

Separate drone footage sees the couple lying side by side after they were shot, sharing one final embrace. They were the first two people killed in Sunday’s attack, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. In total, 15 people, ranging in age from 10 to 87, died in the massacre.

“We are heartbroken by the sudden and senseless loss of our beloved Boris and Sofia Gurman,” their family said in a statement to the newspaper.

“They had been married for 34 years, with their 35th wedding anniversary approaching in January,” it continued. “We were looking forward to celebrating Sofia’s 62nd birthday on Wednesday 17th of December.”

Gurman, a retired mechanic, was remembered “for his generosity, quiet strength and willingness to lend a hand to anyone in need.” Sofia, who worked at the Australia Post, “was deeply loved by her colleagues and community,” family said.

“In recent days, we have become aware of footage showing Boris, with Sofia by his side, courageously attempting to disarm an attacker in an effort to protect others,” they continued. “While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness. This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were — people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others.”

The gunmen, a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, were motivated by “Islamic State ideology,” Australian leaders said Tuesday. The older gunman, identified as Sajid Akram, was shot and killed on the scene. His son, meanwhile, was not injured and has not been identified.