In New Zealand, a driver hit 2 police officers, 1 person died

A driver ran into two places New Zealand The country’s police chief said that police officers patrolling on foot killed one person and seriously injured another on New Year’s morning.

The attack shocked a country where it is rare for police officers to be killed in the line of duty. Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming has become the first female officer in New Zealand’s history to be killed in a crime on the job, police said on Thursday.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told reporters in the South Island city of Nelson that the car in Wednesday’s attack drove into officers “at high speed” while on routine patrol in a car park before the driver swerved and crashed into a police car. Fleming died a few hours later at a local hospital.

A 32-year-old man was arrested for the incident that happened around 2 am local time. He was charged with eight counts, including murder, attempted murder, assault using a vehicle as a weapon and driving while disqualified.

The other officer hit by the car is in critical condition but is expected to make a full recovery, Chambers said. A third officer in the injured police car was reported to be concussed and two others were injured, one of whom came to help the injured officers.

Chambers did not offer a motive, but condemned the “senseless act of someone who appears determined to do harm.”

“There was no indication at this stage what was going to happen,” Chambers said.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell told reporters that the officers “considered it a very cowardly attack”. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wrote in X that it was a “devastating day” for the police and the country.

The attack happened in the center of Nelson – population 55,000 – near a street where the city’s New Year celebrations had ended two hours earlier.

Before Wednesday, the last on-duty killing of a police officer in New Zealand was in 2020, when an officer was hit by a hit-and-run driver. Thirty-three other officers have died in the line of duty since 1890, according to police records.

Fleming was an officer for 38 years and a long-time netball coach at a local girls’ high school.

“She is a mother, a wife and a well-known and highly respected member of the Nelson community,” Chambers said.

The accused is due to appear in court on Friday. In New Zealand, a manslaughter charge carries an automatic life sentence with a presiding judge imposing a parole period of at least 10 years.