Meet Cesar Barraza: Australian cop who killed Bondi Beach shooter Sajid Akram from 40 metres with just a handgun

A hero cop or Detective Senior Constable Cesar “Cess” Barraza shot dead Bondi Beach shooter Sajid Akram during last week’s deadly attack on Sydney’s Jewish community.

He was wearing a standard detective uniform of shirt and tie. Barraza fired at the suspects from roughly 130 feet, or 40 metres, using only a handgun. His second shot is being described by firearms experts as “the shot of a lifetime.”

'Because I hate crime'

Barraza has served in the force for 16 years and was previously featured on the Australian reality TV show Recruits, where he said he became a police officer “because I hate crime.”

According to the Daily Telegraph, police sources said even the best marksmen would have struggled to hit such a target from that distance. Ballistics tests are ongoing to confirm that Barraza’s bullets took down 50-year-old Sajid Akram and injured his son, 24-year-old Naveed Akram.

The final stand of the shooter before dying was caught on camera, showing the full firefight with police.

The massacre left 15 people dead, including a child, and dozens injured during the Jewish Chanukah by the Sea festival.

The shooters were a father and son duo. They had told family members they were going on a weekend fishing trip before carrying out the "antisemitic" assault. Naveed Akram remains in hospital under police guard in a critical but stable condition. He has been charged with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.

Authorities found improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and homemade ISIS flags in the Akrams’ car and are investigating how they obtained high-powered weapons like bolt-action rifles and shotguns. Police also conducted raids across Sydney, including at Naveed Akram’s home in Bonnyrigg. A civilian hero named Ahmed al Ahmed was credited with tackling and disarming one of the gunmen, Naveed, before police intervened. Ahmed was also injured in the process and taken to the hospital.