Sydney ( CNN ) Only one of the Sydney siege victims was shot by the gunman , with the second killed by fragments of police bullets fired when officers stormed the cafe , an inquest has heard . The revelations , which came in the opening day of an inquest into the 16-hour siege of a central Sydney cafe , are likely to further fuel questions about how New South Wales Police responded to the December 15 incident , especially their choice of weapons . Of the five shots fired by Man Haron Monis , a self-styled Muslim cleric who took 18 people hostage , only one found a target , counsel assisting the coroner Jeremy Gormly told the inquest . Monis shot and killed cafe manager Tori Johnson execution-style , prompting police to storm the cafe in the early hours of December 16 , Gormly said . Victims of Sydney siege : A mother of three and a beloved son . All the injuries that followed -- two fatal , including those to Monis , and four non-fatal -- were caused by police fire , according to the evidence . The inquest is expected to examine whether the deaths of Johnson , the cafe 's 34-year-old manager , and Katrina Dawson , a 38-year-old lawyer , could have been prevented . Addressing those at the hearing , which was closed to the public but open to hostages and victims ' families , Gormly outlined the events that led to the deaths of Johnson , Dawson and the gunman . He said the first killing , of Johnson , occurred at about 2.14 a.m. -- shortly after a group of hostages fled the cafe . Gormly described an execution-style killing , in which Monis ordered Johnson to kneel , then `` simply shot him , without further notice or warning , in the back of the head . '' `` The end of the barrel was about 75 centimeters from Mr Johnson 's head at the moment of discharge , '' he said . `` Mr Johnson is believed to have died immediately . '' The killing was witnessed by a police marksman , resulting in an immediate order to force entry , he said . Police then shot out the glass doors and windows , threw in 11 `` distractors , '' producing flashes and bangs , and two armed tactical response officers entered , firing 22 shots . At least two police bullets or bullet fragments struck Monis in the head and 11 other police bullets or fragments hit his body , killing him instantly , said Gormly . But their rounds ricocheted off the hard surfaces in the cafe , killing Dawson and injuring three other hostages and one of the response team , who was struck in the face . `` Ms Dawson was struck by six fragments of a police bullet or bullets , '' he said . Gormly said the siege began after Monis entered the Lindt Cafe at about 8.33 a.m. , carrying a large backpack and a plastic bag containing a sawn-off shotgun , and ordered chocolate cake and tea . He moved to a table with a clear view of the cafe , then , after about 30 minutes , asked to speak with the manager . Staff noticed that Johnson 's body language appeared tense . He called on an employee to fetch his keys , lock the doors and remain calm . Monis then stood up , produced a shotgun and announced that he had a bomb , before ordering hostages to hold up an Islamic flag . He then ordered Johnson to make an emergency call to authorities announcing that it was a terrorist attack , and that there were bombs elsewhere . Police arrived at the scene shortly after . Several investigations into what occurred over the two days of the siege are underway , including what information security agencies had on Monis , and how the police handled the crisis . Lawyers representing Dawson , Johnson and the police force will appear at the inquest , as well as lawyers representing two tactical response officers . Johnson 's family members were in attendance , as well as John O'Brien , one of the first hostages to escape . Two charged in Sydney counter-terror arrests .
An inquest begins into the Sydney siege , which resulted in deaths of two hostages . One was killed execution-style by the gunman , the other was struck by police bullets . Other investigations into the 16-hour siege are underway .