Police dog Five-O was also found safe and sound after the siege. Photo / Sarah Ivey
Police dog Five-O was also found safe and sound after the siege. Photo / Sarah Ivey
Jan Molenaar's dog Luger, which disappeared as its owner fired the shots that started the Napier siege, has been found alive.
Molenaar was returning home from walking the female Staffordshire cross, named after the German pistol, when he confronted police on Thursday.
She was found by Molenaar's partner, Delwyn Keefe,when police lifted their cordon on Sunday.
The gunman's brother, Peter Molenaar, said Luger was found at the top of Hospital Hill. A neighbour had been feeding her throughout the seige.
Yesterday morning, police said they did not know where the dog was.
Inquiry head Detective Superintendent Rod Drew said he had "no idea" what happened to the dog.
Later in the day officers made checks, but were unable to find her.
But Peter Molenaar told the Herald last night that Luger was safe and well, and was with Delwyn Keefe.
"Luger must have wandered up the hill and a neighbour fed her," he said.
"Delwyn went back to look and found her."
It is the second Napier-siege dog story with a happy ending.
Police dog Fi was feared dead after the gunfire on Thursday, but officers found her unharmed in a police van outside Molenaar's home on Friday night.
* Fact v Fiction
Details released by the police yesterday make it clear that the Weekend Herald's front-page report on Saturday was right.
Despite widespread claims in other media on Saturday morning that we were wrong and Jan Molenaar was still alive, it is clear that he died on Friday afternoon.
His last communications with his partner and brother were just after 1pm, and a single gunshot was heard at 1.28pm.
From that time there was no further sign of life from the house through phone contact or shooting. As the Herald correctly reported, the police believed him to be dead.
