In his last moments, Tori Johnson was told: "You'll be alright, everything will be fine."
A minute later, the 34-year was dead.
Details of what Man Haron Monis is believed to have said to the Lindt Cafe manager before executing him have now emerged, amid questions as to why police decided against ending the stand-off in favour of a strategy of "contain and negotiate".
The inquest into the December 2014 siege in Sydney's Martin Place has heard that around 11 hours into the drama, between 8.20pm and 8.40pm, senior police officers rejected a proposal from the commander of the Tactical Operations Unit to take "a deliberate action".
"It seems the tactical commander of the TOU suggested to the forward commander that there may be some merit in executing the deliberate action as this would allow police to resolve the siege at a time and by tactical methods of their choosing rather than in response to Monis' actions," counsel assisting the coroner, Sophie Callan, told the inquest on Tuesday.
At 11.35pm, "deliberate action" was again discussed but, Ms Callan told the hearing, Assistant Commissioner Mark Jenkins took advice from the TOU commander and was satisfied "contain and negotiate" was a better strategy.
Police also continued to wait as Johnson was told by Monis - about 10 minutes before the cafe manager was fatally shot - to kneel.
"The degree to which that was seen by police, and if so how it was interpreted, must be explored in the evidence," Ms Callan said.
At 2.11am, Monis fired a shot in the direction of the cafe kitchen.
"The evidence suggests Tori fell forward to the ground at this point and resumed kneeling. He must have felt seriously at risk at this point," Ms Callan said.
As Monis reloaded his shotgun, hostage Fiona Ma ran towards the main doors and made her way out onto Phillip Street.
"At 2.12am, Monis is heard saying words to the effect, `you'll be alright, you will be fine'," Ms Callan said.
"Yet tragically, less than a minute later at approximately 2.13am, Monis discharged his weapon for the third time, shooting Tori Johnson in the back of the head and causing him to fall forward onto the cafe floor."
"Inexplicably, he then said words to the effect, `don't move, everything will be fine'."
It was the death of Johnson and words "hostage down" over police radios that prompted TOU officers to storm the building at 2.14am.
Two of those officers - Officer A and Officer B - fired 22 shots in the direction of Monis, the inquest was told. Officer A fired off 17 rounds.
The autopsy showed Monis sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including to the head, left shoulder and lower back, right upper back, buttocks, the left side of the chest, left upper arm and right foot.
The inquest also heard that as the siege entered its 16th hour, Monis was becoming increasingly agitated.
At about 1.12am, hostage Selina Win Pe was forced to call police to demand a light in Martin Place be turned off.
"I'm going to get shot in 15 minutes if you don't have these lights switched off. You don't know how close I just came," she is heard telling a police negotiator in a recorded conversation played at the inquest on Tuesday.
"Could you please have these lights switched off ... Please Matt."
The inquest continues.
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