“Distressing” and “vivid” footage of the moment PC Keith Palmer was stabbed outside Parliament during last year’s Westminster attack has been shown to an inquest into the victims’ deaths.
Khalid Masood killed the unarmed officer after driving into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on 22 March 2017. Kurt Cochran, 54, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Andreea Cristea, 31, were also killed.
Mobile phone footage of people rushing to offer first aid was also shown. Masood was shot dead by armed officers during the attack.
The inquest, taking place at the Old Bailey in London, was shown a video of Masood running from his crashed hire car into New Palace Yard.
A “chilling” image was shown to the court of the attacker with a carving knife in each hand, bearing down on PC Palmer.
The footage then showed Masood stabbing the officer repeatedly.
The attacker was momentarily distracted by other officers, allowing PC Palmer time to run further into the yard. Masood followed, but within moments, plainclothes armed officers shot and killed him. The whole attack lasted 82 seconds.
In an audio recording played to the court, there were repeated shouts of: “Police officer stabbed in the head.” PC Palmer was described as having a “weak pulse” and losing blood, while another person said: “He’s been stabbed in the back.” A man could also be heard talking to PC Palmer and willing him to stay alive, shouting: “Keith, come on son.” An ambulance arrived just before 15:00 BST, but efforts to save him stopped at 15:15, the court heard.
The inquest also heard from witnesses of the attack, including Carl Knight, who saw events unfold from the top deck of a bus. He read a statement to the court saying he heard a “loud bang” that sounded like a “small explosion” or a “backfiring car”, as Masood’s vehicle crashed into the railings outside Parliament.
Mr Knight saw a pedestrian approach him to ask what was happening, but Masood replied by swearing at him, revealing the knives, and saying: “You don’t want to mess with me.” Mr Knight said: “As soon as the knives went up it went from car accident to attack.”
The court then heard that Mr Knight saw pedestrians running away from Masood, including a woman hugging her child and saying: “Don’t kill me.” “I could hear screaming coming from downstairs [on the bus] and women’s voices shouting, ‘drive’ and, ‘let me off the bus’,” he said.
Mr Knight then saw Masood break into a run to the entrance to Parliament. “It was as if there were no guards on the gate,” he added.
Mr Knight described a struggle between Masood and PC Palmer, saying: “They were both grabbing each other and tumbling to the floor.” He said Masood “seemed to get the better of the officer”, and that he stabbed him five times.
Another witness, John Campbell, said Masood used a “very large kitchen knife” measuring between 10in and 1ft long. He said the attacker seemed “animated and frenzied” following the stabbing, adding: “He was looking for another victim.”