- A driver ran down two New Zealand police officers on patrol early on New Year’s Day, killing one and seriously injuring the other, the country’s police chief said.
- The driver plowed into officers “at a high rate of speed” before swerving and crashing into a police car.
- A 32-year-old man was arrested shortly after the incident.
A driver ran down two. New Zealand Police officers on foot patrol early on New Year’s Day killed one and seriously injured another, the country’s police chief said.
The attack shocked a country where killings of police officers in the line of duty is rare. Senior Sergeant Lynne Fleming was the first female officer in New Zealand’s history to be killed by a criminal act while on duty, police said on Thursday.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told reporters in the South Island city of Nelson that in Wednesday’s attack, the vehicle plowed into officers “at high speed” as they were doing routine patrol in a parking lot, before the driver turned around. Hit the police car. Fleming died hours later at a local hospital.
A 32-year-old man was arrested shortly after the incident at around 2 a.m. local time. He was charged with eight crimes, including murder, attempted murder, using a vehicle as a weapon and driving while disqualified.
Second officer Hit by a car Chambers said he was in critical condition but was expected to make a full recovery. A third officer who was riding in the police vehicle was injured and two members of the public were injured, one of whom came to the aid of the injured officers.
Chambers condemned the “senseless act of an individual apparently determined to do harm”, although he did not suggest a motive.
“At that stage, there was no indication what was going to happen,” Chambers said.
“Officers were targeted in what I consider to be a very cowardly attack,” Police Minister Mark Mitchell told reporters. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wrote on X that it was a “devastating day” for the police and the country.
The attack took place in a central area of Nelson – population 55,000 – near the street where the city’s New Year’s Eve Celebrations It ended two hours ago.
The last on-duty killing of a police officer in New Zealand before Wednesday was in 2020, when an officer was shot by a hit-and-run driver. According to police records, 33 other officers have died in the line of duty since 1890.
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Fleming was an officer for 38 years and a long-time netball coach at a local girls’ high school.
“She’s a mother, she’s a wife and she’s a well-known and highly respected member of the Nelson community,” Chambers said.
The accused person is due in court on Friday. In New Zealand, murder carries an automatic life sentence, with the presiding judge imposing a non-parole period of at least 10 years.