Hero dad shielded toddler son from mosque shooter's bullets
A dad peppered with bullets at the Christchurch mosque shooting has been hailed a hero for shielding his toddler son from the line of fire, potentially saving his life, the man’s wife said.
Zulfirman Syah was shot several times when he threw himself in front of his two-year-old toddler son Averroes on Friday as 50 worshippers were killed and dozens more injured in the attacked. NSW man Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28, has been charged with murder.
Mr Syah and his son were two of those shot at the Linwood mosque. The family had only arrived in New Zealand from Indonesia two months ago.
The man’s wife Alta Sacra told how the heroic dad bravely risked his life to save their son as the gunman sprayed the mosque with bullets.
“My husband shielded our son during the attack at Linwood Islamic Centre, which caused him to receive most of the bullets and much more complex injuries than our son,” she wrote on Facebook Saturday.
She said on Monday her husband is still in the Surgical Progressive Care Unit and is improving each day.
“Averroes is also doing quite well but there has not been a hospital discharge date set yet,” she said on Monday.
“It is hard to keep this energetic two-year-old down.”
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Ms Marie said she spent hours following the attack searching for information on her little boy, and was thankful to eventually find him injured but still alive.
She said he had a gunshot wound to his leg and backside, and had become “traumatized” by the event, but was staying positive following surgery to remove shrapnel.
“He is recovering nicely and has been cheerful while keeping the staff on the children’s ward entertained with his talkative and energetic nature,” the mum wrote.
A GoFundMe page for the family has already reached more than $23,000 in donations.