Australia cafe siege victim was killed by police

One of the victims of Australia’s Lindt Cafe stand-off was reportedly killed by a police bullet when she was caught in the crossfire between the gunman and the cops, media report said on Sunday.

Katrina Dawson, 38, was caught in the crossfire and struck possibly by a ricochet.

“The barrister was struck by police fire that was not a direct shot and possibly a ricochet, when Tactical Operations Unit officers stormed the cafe just after 2am on 16 December,” the police was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

Iranian-born ISIS sympathiser Man Haron Monis had shot dead one of the hostages, cafe manager Tori Johnson, at close range.

Monis was later killed in the shoot-out with the police.

“Force would not be commenting on any aspect of the investigation until that process had been completed,” a police spokeswoman said. The Daily Telegraph added that a ricochet struck Dawson in the heart as she lay on the ground, with a separate ricochet striking her in the shoulder.

Dawson and Johnson, 34, were among the 18 hostages detained by Monis when the Martin Place siege began just before 10am.

During the siege, 12 hostages, including two Indians, managed to escape before officers from the Tactical Operations Unit smashed their way into the cafe at 2am after a sniper reported a hostage had been shot.

Meanwhile, Australia will build a permanent memorial to remember the victims of the Sydney cafe siege, officials said Sunday as they vowed never to forget the two hostages who died in the stand-off.

The memorial will also pay tribute to the police and emergency service officers who worked to end the 16-hour siege in mid-December.

The siege shocked Australians, with thousands of Sydney siders laying bouquets at a large makeshift memorial near the cafe in the city’s financial hub. “The outpouring of grief that was symbolised by a sea of flowers in Martin Place, and that moved hearts around the world, was the beginning of our recovery process,” New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said in a statement.

“The unveiling of a permanent memorial, on or before the first anniversary of the siege, will be another significant step in that process, and will guarantee that the memory of Tori (Johnson) and Katrina (Dawson) lives forever in the heart of Sydney.”