Coroner praises family bravery in shooting

Photo / Martin Sykes

A family praised by a coroner for their "extraordinary courage" in the face of a shooting by a mentally ill relative say they simply "acted as they had to".

Jan Boyd, husband John and daughter Georgina Langford found themselves in a situation of "abject terror" in Tui, Wakefield, near Nelson, on April 21 when the Boyds' nephew Brendon was confronted and shot by his father Ian, a report by coroner Carla na Nagara said.

Ian Boyd was later found dead after telling his wife he couldn't die in prison and he was going to kill himself. Brendon Boyd survived a gunshot wound to the chest.

"Georgina's grappling with Ian to get the gun off him, John's engagement with Ian in an effort to keep him from the others, and Jan's first-aid efforts which almost certainly saved Brendon's life reflect a selfless disregard for their own safety and a level of courage that was remarkable," the coroner said.

Jan Boyd, a registered nurse, told the Herald she was just happy that Brendon, whom her family were very close to, had survived the ordeal.

"I think everybody acted as they had to, and I think Georgina and John did amazingly well. I think my daughter is amazing, I think my husband is amazing and I think Brendon is amazing."

The coroner's report said Brendon Boyd had travelled from Greymouth to Tui to celebrate John Boyd's 60th birthday when he came across his father, and was punched in the mouth and abused.

Ian Boyd "looked like he had gone mad," Brendon Boyd said.

Brendon Boyd then went to the home of his uncle and aunt and was receiving treatment for his swollen and bloody lips when his father arrived at the door, carrying a shotgun and demanding to know where his son was.

As Jan Boyd and Mrs Langford tried to keep Ian Boyd from entering, he pushed past them and confronted his son.

"I had never seen anybody in that frame of mind," Jan Boyd said. "He was on a mission. He seemed to be out of control."

Brendon Boyd tried to calm his father, but was shot from "perhaps six paces".

Mrs Langford was grappling with Ian Boyd and trying to push him out the door when the gun went off. When she stopped struggling with him, he left the house.

Brendon Boyd had been shot in the right side of the chest, and Jan Boyd put pressure on the wound for an hour until emergency services arrived.

Ian Boyd returned to the house with his gun and grabbed a telephone off Mrs Langford, who had been calling emergency services. John Boyd then spoke to his brother, who was ranting about killing himself and wanting to "finish off" his son.

When Ian Boyd left he called his wife and told her: "I'm going to die tonight. These are the final words I'll have for you."

He also told police by phone: "If you can talk to a corpse, you'll be doing good."

Ian Boyd was later found dead in his van, with a shotgun between his legs. He had long been described by his family as paranoid, and they had tried to get help for him, the coroner said.