MILES PARKS, HOST:
Two deadly shootings have shocked the world in the past 24 hours. Here in the United States, two people were killed and nine wounded after a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, yesterday. And today, two gunmen in Australia killed at least 15 people at a Hanukkah event at the country's popular Bondi Beach. President Trump addressed the violence and paid his respect to the families of the victims of both shootings at a reception at the White House this afternoon.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Two are looking down on us right now from heaven. And likewise, in Australia, as you know, there was a terrible attack.
PARKS: In just a bit, we'll hear more from our NPR member station reporter in Rhode Island, but we will start our coverage in Sydney, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke to the nation and condemned today's attack.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE: There has been a devastating terrorist incident at Bondi at the Hanukkah By The Sea celebration. This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians.
PARKS: For more, we bring in journalist Phil Mercer in Sydney. Thank you so much for being here, Phil.
PHIL MERCER: Yes. Hello.
PARKS: So tell us a little bit more about what the reaction to the shooting in Australia has been today.
MERCER: Well, witnesses we've spoken to have described losing dear friends and how the shots that rang out at Australia's most famous beach seem to go on, as they say, for an eternity. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has, in the last half an hour, arrived at Bondi Beach. And quite clearly, this is a nation suffering immense trauma. The mass shooting of Bondi Beach is Australia's worst shooting atrocity in almost 30 years.
PARKS: What do we know about the 15 or so victims at this point?
MERCER: We know the youngest is a 10-year-old child, and the oldest is 87 years of age. We also know that one of the victims is Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was born in the United Kingdom and was attending this Jewish event that the police say was deliberately targeted by the two gunmen. We're learning more about them. One of the gunmen was killed in gunfire exchanges with the police, and in total, at the moment, 15 other people are known to have died as well.
PARKS: We heard the prime minister saying this is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians. Do we know anything else about the motivations of the attackers?
MERCER: No, we don't. We do know that the police are saying that the attackers were a father and son, 50 years of age, the father, and his 24-year-old son. And there are lots of videos circulating online of the attack. One in particular stands out. We understand a storekeeper managed to wrestle a firearm from one of the attackers, and that is what President Trump was referring to when he was talking about the heroism displayed at Bondi Beach. As for motivations, we don't know, and the investigation is continuing.
PARKS: Australia does have some of the world's strictest gun legislation. Do authorities know anything about the guns used in the attack here?
MERCER: Yes, they do. They say that they are long-arm firearms and single-shot firearms. And the authorities say that they were all registered. So what we're seeing now is another debate about firearms legislation in this country. They were tightened after a mass shooting 30 years ago, and it seems certain that gun laws in this country will now come under immense scrutiny.
PARKS: Journalist Phil Mercer in Sydney, thank you so much.
MERCER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
