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Summarised by Centrist
Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming, a 38-year veteran of the New Zealand Police, has died following a deliberate vehicle attack in Nelson’s Buxton Square early New Year’s Day morning.
Fleming and fellow officer Adam Ramsey were patrolling on foot when a car drove at them at speed, critically injuring both officers. The driver then rammed a police car before being tasered and arrested at the scene.
Fleming succumbed to her injuries, while Ramsey is in hospital undergoing surgery and is expected to recover. A third officer suffered a concussion. Two members of the public were also injured: a woman with a broken arm and a man who sustained a shoulder injury while assisting police.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers called the attack “unprovoked and senseless.” Nelson MP Rachel Boyack and Police Minister Mark Mitchell also condemned the attack, with Mitchell calling it “cowardly” and “gut-wrenching.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed heartbreak over the loss, saying, “Police across New Zealand do an incredible job keeping us safe, and it’s heart-wrenching for an officer to lose her life carrying out that duty.”
The suspect, a 32-year-old man, remains in custody as police investigate his motive.
Fleming, a wife and mother, was a prominent community figure and long-time netball coach at Nelson College for Girls.
