Lenny Holmwood tackled a gunman and gained precious time for two policemen to save themselves. (APN)
Lenny Holmwood tackled a gunman and gained precious time for two policemen to save themselves. (APN)
Everybody has at some time wondered what they would do in the instant they might need to put their life in danger to save another. Lenny Holmwood no longer has to wonder.
On a shocking day in May when three Napier policemen went to the house of Jan Molenaar andleft under fire, Holmwood was the reason two of them survived.
Molenaar was a mate; Holmwood had bought marijuana from him at times. On the fateful morning, he says, he just called to visit.
The police were there with a search warrant and Molenaar turned murderous.
The wounded policemen were still in the street. Molenaar meant to finish them off. Holmwood seized the rifle and pushed it away, grappling with the bigger man, pleading with him. He distracted the gunman for perhaps 20 precious seconds, long enough for two of the officers to reach safety.
The third policeman, Len Snee, still lay in the street. So did Holmwood, having taken a bullet from his enraged mate. With Molenaar shooting from the house, Holmwood crawled to Senior Constable Snee, but there was nothing he could do for the officer's fatal chest wounds.
But his next thought was equally selfless. Lying wounded, he sent a memorable text: "Jan busted, 3 cops shot. Me leg. Can you feed Scrappy [his cat]".
The siege ended after more than 28 hours and we chose Lenny Holmwood for our New Zealander of the Year in 2009.
