Sydney Siege Victims Identified: Brave Lindt Cafe Manager Tori Johnson Wrestled Gunman Before Being Killed

Hours after the 17-hour -long hostage situation at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney ended in tragic fashion, details of the victims killed during the crisis have come to light. According to ABC News, a total of three people, including the gunman himself, were killed after police raided the cafe in the wee hours of the morning.

As the Inquisitr reported earlier, the gunman was identified as Man Haron Monis, an Islamic cleric who has had several trysts with Australian law enforcement agencies in the past. One of the murdered hostages has been identified as a 38-year-old mother of three, Katrina Dawson, who was an attorney. The second individual has been identified as 34-year-old Tori Johnson, who worked as the manager of the Lindt cafe.

Tori Johnson is already being hailed for his bravery after it was reported that he had tried to wrestle the gun from the hostage taker when the raid commenced. While Johnson is believed to have died at the cafe itself, Ms. Dawson was declared dead after she made it to the hospital. At this stage, it is unclear if they were shot by the gunman or whether they died after being caught in the crossfire between the gunman and the police. However, according to reports, Tori Johnson’s decision to lunge at the hostage taker and wrestle the gun away from him gave several of the last few hostages precious time to escape. Unfortunately, Tori himself was unable to escape and was fatally shot.

According to ABC Australia, Tori Johnson had been working at Lindt cafe since October 2012 and was a well-liked employee by everyone who had the chance to interact with him. He had joined Lindt after working in several other restaurants across Sydney. According to Tony Manno, a former colleague of Tori when they worked at Sydney’s Adria Rybar & Grill, “Tori was a great guy, a good guy to be around. He got on really well with all the staff.”

In a Facebook post, the owners of Lindt cafe have thanked the NSW Police and pledged support to the families of the victims affected by the siege. “I’m shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible incident that has taken place in Sydney,” said Ernst Tanner, Chairman and Group CEO Lindt & Sprüngli.

“Lindt & Sprüngli will provide any support to the victims and their families, and indeed to all our employees affected by this event. We are grateful for the support we received from the public in Australia and from all around the world,” said Steven Loane, CEO Lindt & Sprüngli

As for Katrina Dawson, she worked as a barrister at Selborne Chambers in the CBD. Survived by her husband and three children, Dawson has been described by her peers and colleagues as “one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends at the NSW Bar.”

In a statement issued by the NSW Bar Chamber they added, “Katrina was a devoted mother-of-three children and a valued member of her floor and of our bar community. Our thoughts are with her family at this time including her brother Sandy Dawson of Banco Chambers.”

As the day broke over Sydney, the premises outside the cafe was thronged by mourners and well-wishers who came to pay their respect to the victims.

Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.

[Images via Getty and AAP]