Bondi Beach shooting: Aussie police officer, 4 months into the job, survives head gunshot wound

A 22-year-old police officer who was shot in the head during the

Bondi Beach shooting

in Australia

has survived, the country’s local media reported.

Mr Jack Hibbert, who had been in the police force for four months when he was assigned to patrol Bondi Beach, sustained two gunshot wounds – one to his head and another to his shoulder.

He has lost vision in one of his eyes, 9News Australia reported on Dec 17.

The attack by two gunmen on Dec 14 was

Australia’s worst mass shooting

in nearly 30 years and is being investigated as a terrorist act targeting the Jewish community.

The death toll stands at 16,

including one gunman, aged 50, who was shot by the police on Dec 14. The ​alleged accomplice, the man’s 24-year-old son, is in critical condition in hospital, the police said.

In a statement posted on the New South Wales Police Force website, Mr Hibbert’s family said he was rushed to the emergency department, where he was intubated and underwent multiple operations.

“Although miraculously surviving, Jack’s injuries have resulted in a loss of vision in one of his eyes, and he now faces a long and challenging recovery ahead, with additional surgeries required,” his family said in the statement.

Colleagues who visited Mr Hibbert in hospital said he “moved towards people in need, not away from danger”, adding that he continued to assist civilians despite being seriously injured.

His family thanked the community for its support, kindness and prayers, describing the police officer as courageous and selfless in protecting civilians at Bondi.

“Jack was simply doing his job – a job he deeply loves – driven by a commitment to protect the community, even at great personal cost,” his family said.