A Sydney siege hostage who was hailed for saving her friend's life was killed by a police bullet, not the hostage taker, it has been reported.
Katrina Dawson, 38, died shielding her pregnant friend as police stormed the cafe and killed Man Haron Monis, 16 hours after he took hostages. She was one of two of them to die.
The incident is still under investigation but The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that Ms Dawson, a barrister and mother of three, was hit by a police round.
It may have been hit by a ricochet rather than a direct shot, the paper added.
A coroner will determine her cause of death, along with Monis and cafe manager Tori Johnson, once the police conclude their investigation.
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A police spokesman declined to comment to the paper while the investigation continues.
Police stormed the cafe in the early hours of December 16 after Mr Johnson was shot.
He is believed to have tried to grab Monis' gun from him.
A tribute to Katrina Dawson at the scene of the siege
"These heroes were willing to lay down their lives so others might live," Archbishop Anthony Fisher said of them during a service at the city's St Mary's Cathedral.
After Ms Dawson's death, Jane Needham, president of the New South Wales Bar Association, said: "Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends."
Story continues beneath slideshow
The moment hostages flee Sydney siege
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A policeman (L) and a paramedic (R) escort a hostage (C) away from the scene during a hostage siege in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. At least two people were killed, television reports said early Tuesday. AFP PHOTO/William WEST (Photo credit should read WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:WILLIAM WEST via Getty Images)
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Police escort a hostage (2ndR) with the help of a paramedic (R) during a hostage siege in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. At least two people were killed, television reports said early Tuesday. AFP PHOTO/William WEST (Photo credit should read WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:WILLIAM WEST via Getty Images)
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An injured hostage is carried out of a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PETER PARKS via Getty Images)
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Armed police and paramedics take out injured people following an operation at a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. At least two people were killed, television reports said early Tuesday. AFP PHOTO / Saeed KHAN (Photo credit should read SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:SAEED KHAN via Getty Images)
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Fire fighters and paramedics wait as armed police carry out an operation outside the cafe where a gunman had taken people captive in the central business district of Sydney on December 15, 2014. At least two people, including the hostage taker, were killed as police stormed the Sydney cafe to end a siege of more than 16 hours by a gunman holding several hostages, television reports said early Tuesday. AFP PHOTO / William West (Photo credit should read WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:WILLIAM WEST via Getty Images)
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A injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. A flurry of loud bangs erupted as a swarm of heavily armed police stormed inside a downtown Sydney chocolate cafe where a gunman had been holding an unknown number of people hostage for more than 16 hours. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Emergency response personnel, right, give treatment to an unidentified person after shots were fired and police entered the building during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney , Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. A swarm of heavily armed police stormed a cafe in the heart of downtown Sydney early Tuesday, ending a siege where a gunman had been holding an unknown number of people hostage for more than 16 hours. A police spokesman confirmed "the operation is over," but would not release any further details about the fate of the gunman or his remaining captives. After a flurry of loud bangs, police swooped into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe shortly after five or six hostages were seen running from the building. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:Rob Griffith/AP)
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An injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. (credit:AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
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A injured hostage is wheeled to an ambulance after shots were fired during a cafe siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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In this image taken from TV armed tactical response officers enter the building after shots were fired during a cafe siege in the central business district of Sydney , Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. A swarm of heavily armed police stormed a cafe in the heart of downtown Sydney early Tuesday, ending a siege where a gunman had been holding an unknown number of people hostage for more than 16 hours. A police spokesman confirmed "the operation is over," but would not release any further details about the fate of the gunman or his remaining captives. After a flurry of loud bangs, police swooped into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe shortly after five or six hostages were seen running from the building. (AP Photo/Channel 9) AUSTRALIA OUT TV OUT (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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An injured hostage is carried out of a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. Police have confirmed the siege is over. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PETER PARKS via Getty Images)
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A hostage runs down Philip street after coming out of the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police attend a hostage situation at Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. (Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images) (credit:Don Arnold via Getty Images)
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Hostages run out of a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. Police have confirmed the siege is over. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PETER PARKS via Getty Images)
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Hostages run out of a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. Police have confirmed the siege is over. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PETER PARKS via Getty Images)
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People run with there hands up from the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place during a hostage standoff on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police stormed the Sydney cafe as a gunman has been holding hostages. (Photo by Joosep Martinson/Getty Images) (credit:Joosep Martinson via Getty Images)
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People run with there hands up from the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place during a hostage standoff on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police stormed the Sydney cafe as a gunman has been holding hostages. (Photo by Joosep Martinson/Getty Images) (credit:Joosep Martinson via Getty Images)
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Hostages run towards armed tactical responce police as they run to freedom from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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People run with there hands up from the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place during a hostage standoff on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police stormed the Sydney cafe as a gunman has been holding hostages. (Photo by Joosep Martinson/Getty Images) (credit:Joosep Martinson via Getty Images)
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People run with there hands up from the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place during a hostage standoff on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police stormed the Sydney cafe as a gunman has been holding hostages. (Photo by Joosep Martinson/Getty Images) (credit:Joosep Martinson via Getty Images)
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Hostages run out of a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PETER PARKS via Getty Images)
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Hostages run towards armed tactical response police as they run to freedom from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A hostage runs out of a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on December 16, 2014. Police stormed the Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken hostages and displayed an Islamic flag, television footage showed early December 16. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS (Photo credit should read PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:PETER PARKS via Getty Images)
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Armed tactical response police personnel stand watch into the evening near a cafe under siege by a gunman at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014. As the drama dragged into its 10th hour, police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said negotiators were talking with the gunman. Officials had no information to suggest anyone had been harmed, although a hospital said it was treating a man in satisfactory condition. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A hostage runs to armed tactical response police officers for safety after she escaped from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A hostage runs to armed tactical response police officers for safety after she escaped from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A hostage runs to armed tactical response police officers for safety after she escaped from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A hostage fleeing from a cafe under siege runs towards an armed tactical response police officer at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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An armed tactical response police officer grabs a hostage as she flees from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Monday, Dec. 15, 2014. New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15: A hostage runs to safety outside the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police attend a hostage situation at Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) (credit:Mark Metcalfe via Getty Images)
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15: Two hostages run to safety outside the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police attend a hostage situation at Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) (credit:Mark Metcalfe via Getty Images)
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15: Two hostages run to safety outside the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police attend a hostage situation at Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) (credit:Mark Metcalfe via Getty Images)
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15: Two hostages run to safety outside the Lindt Cafe, Martin Place on December 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Police attend a hostage situation at Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) (credit:Mark Metcalfe via Getty Images)
Prime minister Tony Abbott has asked that Mr Johnson and Ms Dawson are considered for posthumous bravery awards.
“I respectfully ask for your support in ensuring the (Bravery Decorations) Council gives proper consideration to the actions of those involved in this tragic event,” he wrote to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the country's Sunday Telegraph reported.
“There may well be other significant acts by surviving hostages, police and others involved that are worthy of recognition."
Tributes to the Sydney siege victims
Sydney siege tributes
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A police officer looks at flower tributes placed at a temporary memorial site close to the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Three people including the gunman were shot after police ended the siege in the coffee shop early Tuesday. Australia's prime minister acknowledged Wednesday that the nation's security system failed to keep track of a gunman responsible for the deadly siege, and promised a transparent investigation into why the man was not on any terror watch list despite having a long criminal history. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Boxes of Lindt chocolates lie alongside flowers and candles at a memorial on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, honoring the victims of a siege at the nearby Lindt Chocolat Cafe, where a gunman held 17 people hostage for 16 hours. Two hostages and the gunman were killed when police stormed into the cafe in the early hours of Tuesday, Dec. 16. (AP Photo/Kristen Gelineau) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Michelle Cotterill, left, gives a woman a hug in the street at a temporary memorial site close to the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Cotterill said she had a steady stream of hug requests from the mourners who visited the site to pay their respect and leave flower tributes. Three people including a gunman were shot after police ended a siege in the city coffee shop in on Tuesday morning Dec. 16, 2014.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Tribute messages written on the sidewalk by mourners are seen at a temporary memorial site close to the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Three people including the gunman were shot after police ended the siege in the coffee shop early Tuesday. Australia's prime minister acknowledged Wednesday that the nation's security system failed to keep track of a gunman responsible for the deadly siege, and promised a transparent investigation into why the man was not on any terror watch list despite having a long criminal history. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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People come to lay flowers to pay respect to the shooting victims at a temporary memorial site close to the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. The siege ended early Tuesday with a barrage of gunfire that left two hostages and the Iranian-born gunman dead, and a nation that has long prided itself on its peace rocked to its core. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Two women write messages on the sidewalk at a temporary memorial site close to the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Three people including a gunman were shot after police ended a siege in the city coffee shop in on Tuesday morning Dec. 16, 2014.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Police stand watch over flower tributes to the shooting victims on the footpath outside the the cordoned off area outside the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Two of 17 hostages were killed Tuesday when police swooped into the cafe to rescue them from a gunman in a deadly siege. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A message to the shooting victims is placed at a makeshift memorial at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney Australia, Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014. Three people including a lone gunman who took siege in a Sydney CBD cafe are dead after a police action ended in the early ours of the morning. (AP/Photo/Steve Christo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The public lay flowers at a makeshift memorial at Martin Place after the shootings at the Lindt coffee shop in Sydney's Martin Place, Sydney Australia. Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014. Three people including a lone gunman who took siege in a Sydney CBD cafe are dead after a police action ended in the early hours of the morning. (AP/Photo/Steve Christo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Police stand watch over flower tributes and messages written on the footpath outside the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott acknowledged Wednesday that the nation's security system failed to keep track of the gunman responsible for the deadly siege at the Sydney cafe, and promised a transparent investigation into why the man was not on any terror watch list despite having a long criminal history. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A man sits in the cordoned off area outside the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Police have cordoned off an area in and around a city coffee shop to perform an investigation into a siege the left three dead after a lone gunman took 17 people hostage on Monday Dec. 15, 2014.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Flower tributes are laid on the footpath and fence outside the cordoned off area near the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Three people including the gunman were shot after police ended the siege in the city coffee shop in on Tuesday morning Dec. 16, 2014.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A girl lays flowers in a makeshift memorial near the site where a gunman held hostages for 16 hours at a popular Sydney cafe, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. The siege ended early Tuesday with a barrage of gunfire that left two hostages and the Iranian-born gunman dead, and a nation that has long prided itself on its peace rocked to its core. (AP Photo/Steve Christo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A woman cries after laying a flower at a makeshift memorial in Sydney, Australia Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 near where three people died in a siege. An Iranian-born gunman took 17 people hostage at a central city cafe Monday before police stormed the cafe early Tuesday. The gunman and two hostages were killed. (AP Photo/Nick Perry) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margie carry flowers as they pay respect to the victims of the siege in Martin Place in Sydney central business district, Australia. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. Abbott has laid flowers at a makeshift memorial in Sydney for the victims of a central city cafe siege which left three people dead. (Photo: Steve Christo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A woman kneels down as she lays flowers in a makeshift memorial near the site where a gunman held hostages for 16 hours at a popular Sydney cafe, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. The siege ended early Tuesday with a barrage of gunfire that left two hostages and the Iranian-born gunman dead, and a nation that has long prided itself on its peace rocked to its core. (AP Photo/Steve Christo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Employees of the Lindt Cafe pay tribute to colleagues who lost their lives following the shootings, at a makeshift memorial at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney Australia, Tuesday Dec. 16, 2014. Three people including a lone gunman who took siege in a Sydney CBD cafe are dead after a police action ended in the early ours of the morning(AP/Photo/Steve Christo) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)