Joel Verite recounts confronting Axel Rudakubana, the Southport attacker with a 20cm knife at the dance studio.
Joel, 26, helped a friend clean windows on July 29 last year when they saw Leanne Lucas by a car. She was a yoga teacher, and then the music stopped. Joel jumped out after Leanne shouted about the stabbing, pointing to the studio where a Taylor Swift class was happening for kids.
Joel ran toward the studio as a woman beeped her horn. She had four or five girls, one badly hurt. Joel entered the studio wearing shorts and work boots, fearing more attacks.
Inside, he shouted and then saw the killer who looked at Joel. He had a hood and a knife, and blood was everywhere on the stairs. Joel felt frozen.
He said it was like a disaster movie, and the horror stays with him. Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died, as did Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
The 17-year-old killer wanted to kill many, arriving before noon and stabbing ten others. It was a horrific scene where families begged the media for restraint.
Joel is a dad who, risking death, grabbed a bin and smashed a glass door. This stopped the killer from locking himself in, allowing him to get help from mechanics who came with weapons.
Police arrived with a taser and tackled the killer. Joel went inside and picked up Bebe King, who was badly hurt and the youngest victim. Paramedics and fire fighters arrived, witnessing the full horror.
Joel, who played rugby, won’t say the killer’s name. Elsie and Bebe’s parents spoke, wanting their daughters remembered for joy. Jenni Stancombe, Elsie’s mom, will miss Elsie dearly, saying being her mum was an honor.
Jenni hired Leanne Lucas as a tutor, and Leanne then tried to save the kids, suffering life-changing injuries. Jenni wanted to help Elsie and provide a better start for her.
Bebe’s parents said Bebe was kind and very funny. Her mom said Bebe made her laugh even as a baby. Bebe’s dad works for HMRC and said Bebe was confident.
He recalled her parties when Bebe pulled shy kids in, including them in the fun.