Many tourists initially dismissed the gunfire as part of a historical reenactment until Kingston’s urgent warnings made them realize the danger.
“You don’t get a second chance with a gun like that,” he later said, explaining why he didn’t attempt to confront Bryant inside the café.
By the time he returned toward the guesthouse, he had murdered 31 people and taken a hostage. Kingston later questioned his own actions during the chaos:
“Should I have waited until he came out? Should I have tried to tackle him? Did I do the right thing? Would I have saved more lives if I tried to tackle him rather than get people away from the front of the cafe?”
