A New South Wales Police officer wounded in last Sunday's Bondi Beach massacre awoke from a coma on Tuesday, and another was discharged from the hospital, the officers' families announced on Tuesday.
Constable Scott Dyson awoke from his medically induced coma for the first time on Tuesday. The officer had been in a coma since the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 15 people and wounded 40.
According to Dyson's family, he has undergone near-daily surgery, but had been growing stronger each day until awaking.
"There is still a long way to go in his recovery, but this is a positive sign," the family said in a statement.
Officer wounded in Bondi Beach discharged from Hospital
Jack Hibbert, a probationary constable for the NSW Police, was announced to have been discharged from the hospital on the same day.
"While he is home, he is still recovering and will need space, support, and continued positive thoughts during this time," said Hibbert's family. "We couldn’t ask for anything more - having our Jack home, especially for Christmas, truly feels like a miracle."
Hibbert was shot during the attack by the father and son terrorist team, suffering one bullet wound to his head and another to his shoulder, according to a Wednesday statement from the family. While "miraculously" surviving and undergoing multiple surgeries, he lost vision in one of his eyes. The 22-year-old had only been in the police force for four months when he was patrolling the beach.
The NSW police had suffered other casualties in the incident, with retired detective sergeant Peter Meagher among the fatalities in the attack. Meagher had been working as a freelance photographer, covering the Hanukkah celebrations.
On Thursday, his family remembered him for his volunteer work and as an avid Rugby fan.
"The tragic irony that Peter spent so long in the dangerous front line as a police officer and was struck down in retirement while pursuing his passion for taking photos is hard for us to comprehend," said the family.