The coroner overseeing an inquest into the rampage in Bourke Street that killed six people says she is astounded more people weren’t killed.
James Gargasoulas was tailed by police for hours before driving a stolen car through Melbourne’s CBD, mowing down dozens of pedestrians and killing six people on January 20, 2017.
The inquest started on Monday into the massacre, which Coroner Jackie Hawkins said had “left an indelible mark on the Victorian community”.
The inquest will examine the effectiveness of the police response and the justice system’s treatment of Gargasoulas.
“It has astounded me that many more people weren’t killed or injured. The number of people affected by the actions of the offender is vast,” Ms Hawkins said.
Ms Hawkins paid tribute to the victims, who were going about their business when they were hit.
“I acknowledge all those affected by the tragedy and their enduring physical and psychological pain,” she said.
“One by one these lives were extinguished. These six individuals were going about their day in peace. The murderous actions of the offender ended their lives.
“The events were surreal.
“It’s a day that’s forever etched in our minds.”
The victims included three-month-old Zachary Bryant and 10-year-old Thalia Hakin along with Jess Mudie, 22, Yosuke Kanno, 25, Matthew Si, 33, and Bhavita Patel, 33.
Ms Hawkins said it was her duty to give the victims a voice and ensure lessons were learned from the circumstances of their deaths, to prevent any repeat.
Family members of the victims are expected to address the court later on Monday.
In an opening summary, counsel assisting the coroner, Stephen O’Meara QC, is detailing events leading up to the incident.
Gargasoulas’ release from custody during an out-of-sessions bail hearing, six days before the massacre, is being examined during the hearings.
Gargasoulas, who suffers paranoid schizophrenia, was jailed in February for at least 46 years in what was described by the sentencing judge as one of Australia’s worst examples of mass murder.
-AAP
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