A single ‘stray’ police bullet struck two worshippers as marksmen fired at a ranting Islamic State supporter during a deadly terror attack on a packed synagogue, a court was told today.
Adrian Daulby, 53, who was bravely helping to barricade the doors of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester on October 2, 2025, died from a single gunshot wound.
Fellow worshipper, Melvin Cravitz, 66, suffered fatal knife wounds inflicted by terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie outside the building on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
The 35-year-old extremist – who was wearing a fake suicide belt – rang 999 during his atrocity and said: ‘I have killed two Jews in the name of Islamic State.’
Armed police ‘discharged several rounds’ at the attacker, who died at the scene, but tragically a ‘stray bullet’ struck Mr Daulby in the chest, a coroner was told last year.
Along with hero Rabbi David Walker and other members of the congregation, he was courageously barricading the synagogue doors from inside as Al-Shamie tried to force entry.
Today a further hearing ahead of inquests into the deaths of the two worshippers was told that the same bullet also hit 39-year-old Yoni Finlay, who survived.
The father-of-four – who was standing in front of Mr Daulby – later described feeling ‘a very hard punch to his chest’ and realising ‘straight away’ that he had been shot.
Melvin Cravitz, 66, from Crumpsall, died in the deadly attack
Adrian Daulby, 53, also died after being accidentally shot by police
Yoni Finlay, 39, was struck in the chest by the same ‘stray’ police bullet which went on to hit Adrian Daulby as they desperately tried to barricade the synagogue, but he survived
Today Anthony Metzer KC, representing Mr Finlay, told Manchester Coroner’s Court that his client was ‘hit by the same bullet which resulted in Mr Daulby’s demise’.
The pre-inquest review heard calls from lawyers representing survivors for a ‘full and fearless’ investigation into last October’s atrocity.
It should examine information-sharing between the security services and police, Judge Alexia Durran, the Chief Coroner of England and Wales, was told.
In addition it should look at the climate of ‘anti-Semitic propaganda and radicalisation’ and what measures were in place to protect synagogues over Yom Kippur, they argued.
Islamic State supporter Al-Shamie deliberately crashed his car outside the synagogue on October 2, 2025 and began knifing worshippers.
Police immediately declared the attack a suspected terrorist incident and armed police were scrambled to the scene.
Still armed with a knife, Al-Shamie – a Syrian-born UK citizen – charged at the officers who unleashed a series of rounds, killing the terrorist.
Today’s preliminary hearing was packed with lawyers representing families of the victims, as well as the police, ambulance service and Home Office.
Also attending Manchester Coroner’s Court were survivors Andrew Franks – who was on security duty and survived stab wounds – and Mr Finlay.
Chris Daw KC, representing Mr Franks, called for a ‘full and fearless’ investigation into the atrocity.
‘This incident was an attack on the entire Jewish community,’ he said.
‘It was not merely an attack on the two individuals who most tragically died.’
Mr Daw argued that Mr Franks had played a ‘central role’ and should therefore be granted ‘interested person’ status alongside the families of the worshippers who died, allowing him to fully participate in the inquest process.
Mr Daw – who also represents Mr Franks’ father Ellis, who came to his son’s aid – said they were ‘not just witnesses’.
‘They want a full and fearless investigation of everything that happened in this case,’ he said.
Issues which should be examined include information-sharing between the security services, counter-terror policing, local officers and Jewish community security organisations, he argued.
Rabbi Daniel Walker (pictured right) leapt into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack
Al-Shamie (pictured outside the synagogue) travelled to Britain with his family as a young child and was granted UK citizenship in 2006, when he would have been around 16
It should also look at the ‘risk management’ relating to security at synagogues on Yom Kippur, the climate of ‘anti-Semitic propaganda and radicalisation’, and what police resources were available to protect the congregation.
Mr Franks was ‘at the heart of the events’ and sustained ‘the most extraordinary injuries’, the barrister said, and therefore he and his father should not be ‘excluded and treated as mere witnesses’.
Mr Metzer, on behalf of Mr Finlay, said the inquest should examine ‘how it was that Mr Al-Shamie was able to perpetrate this atrocity’ but also ‘understand and comprehend the police role’ in his client being shot.
His client is not simply ‘a survivor’ but also in a ‘very special category given the extraordinary circumstances which resulted in his injuries’, he submitted.
Speaking after his discharge from hospital, Mr Finlay told the Guardian how he was standing in front of Mr Daulby as they tried to keep the synagogue doors closed when he felt ‘a very hard punch to his chest’ and fell to the ground.
‘I knew straight away I’d been shot,’ he said.
Mr Finlay said he believed the police bullet which struck him in the chest exited through his back and hit Mr Daulby.
Anna Morris KC, representing the family of Mr Daulby, read a tribute from them to today’s two-hour hearing.
‘Adrian was a loving, gentle man, loving to everyone and everything, people, animals and plants,’ she said.
‘He was a quiet, private man, mild-mannered and reserved, but loyal to his congregation and those he was close to.’
The profile picture which synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie used as his profile on dating app Muzmatch
Ed Pleeth, counsel to the inquests, said the ‘scope’ of the hearings – likely to take place in 2027 – would include addressing Al-Shamie’s criminal record and history of radicalisation.
Al-Shamie was on bail for rape when he launched his atrocity.
The allegations against the university drop-out were made by two different women, one in December 2024 and the second just a month before the attack.
But Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told MPs that Al-Shamie was never referred to the Prevent counter-extremism programme, and was not known to counter-terrorism policing or the security services.
The inquest will also examine whether the atrocity could have been prevented, including what was ‘known and knowable’ by police and other agencies, as well as security at the synagogue, Mr Pleeth said.
Additionally it will examine the response to the attack by the police and other emergency services and care provided to victims.
Inquests into the worshippers’ deaths will be held together, with a separate hearing examining Al-Shamie’s killing.
Decisions on whether to grant interested person status to the survivors will be made at a later date.
A third survivor of the attack, security guard Bernard Agyemang, who was driven into by Al-Shamie, was not represented at today’s hearing.
When inquests into Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz were opened last year, Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes of Greater Manchester Police said the first shot was fired at Al-Shamie at 9.38am.
Fitness fanatic synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie was obsessed with clean living and watching foreign news bulletins, one of his secret wives said
‘On arrival, the officers discharged several rounds at the suspected terrorist, Jihad Al-Shamie, as he ran towards them,’ Det Chf Supt Hughes said.
However he was not pronounced dead until 4.38pm due to concerns over his suspect explosive belt – which turned out to be fake.
A post mortem gave his cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.
The inquest opening heard how Al-Shamie got out of his Kia hatchback at about 9.30am and ‘immediately made stabbing motions’ toward Mr Cravitz to his ‘upper torso, neck and head area’.
He was later transferred to hospital by ambulance but pronounced dead at Manchester Royal Infirmary at 10.45am.
A post-mortem showed that Mr Cravitz died of multiple stab wounds.
Det Chf Supt Hughes told last year’s inquest opening that Mr Daulby had helped to hold the main door of the synagogue shut ‘for approximately two minutes’ as Al-Shamie attempted to gain entry.
Armed officers scrambled to the scene ‘fired several rounds’ after Al-Shamie had come ‘running towards them while carrying a knife’ and wearing an apparent suicide vest, Det Chf Supt Hughes said.
A single bullet penetrated the synagogue door and hit Mr Daulby in the chest and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.15am.
A post-mortem showed he had died of a single gunshot wound and the coroner recorded this as the provisional cause of death.
A review ahead of Al-Shamie’s inquest is due to be held on Friday.
Following the attack, the family of Mr Cravitz described him as a ‘kind, caring’ person, who ‘would do anything to help anyone’.
He ‘always wanted to chat and get to know people’, they said.
Rabbi Daniel Walker at a vigil outside his synagogue following the attack
Rabbi Walker has said the empty seats where Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz used to sit were one of the ‘first things I see’ whenever he walks into his synagogue.
‘They were both very, very special men,’ he told the BBC.
‘Adrian was a very quiet man – a man of great dignity, always with a smile, always kind, very much loved by his family and his neighbours.
‘Melvin was also a wonderful man – a family man.’
After the attack, Mr Daulby’s family paid tribute to a ‘down to earth man whose final act was to save others’.
Their statement read: ‘Adrian Daulby was a hero and tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others, he will forever be remembered for his heroic act on Thursday 2 October 2025.
‘The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely down to earth man.’
Al-Shamie – a married father-of-three who had at least two secret wives and bombarded other women via a Muslims-only dating app – had a conviction for possession of Class B drugs in 2012, when he was about 22, plus a ‘street warning’ for cannabis when he was a teenager and a penalty notice for shoplifting.
A one-time RAC call handler and keen gym-goer who lived with his mother in Prestwich, Al-Shamie was a prolific user of the Muzmatch dating app where he referred to himself as ‘J’ and says he is a data analyst of ‘Syrian mixed heritage’.
One of his secret wives later told the Daily Mail that Al-Shamie was ‘intimidating’ and ‘aggressive’, and was obsessed with watching foreign TV news channels.
But despite branding him a ‘controlling’ liar, she said there was nothing in his behaviour when they were together that suggested he was becoming radicalised.
‘One minute he can talk nice, then it’s like flipping a switch,’ she said.
Counter-terror police believe Al-Shamie was influenced by extremist Islamist ideology.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later said it had found no misconduct by the three armed officers who opened fire during the attack.
Instead it is treating the officers as witnesses in its ongoing investigation into the events of October 2, 2025.
A separate IOPC probe is examining prior contact between Greater Manchester Police and Al-Shamie, with both expected to conclude this year.
Today a spokesman for the watchdog said: ‘Our thoughts remain with the victims and all those affected by these tragic events.
‘We continue to work hard to conclude our inquiries as soon as we can.’
