Police deaths haunted shot constable

As constable Jeremy Snow lay bleeding heavily in a driveway from gunshot wounds, the image of two colleagues shot dead in the line of duty flashed through his mind.

The rookie cop spent Christmas Day in his Middlemore Hospital bed, surrounded by family and friends for lunch.

Still coming to terms with being shot four times, he was buoyed by the news that a second man wanted in connection with the shooting was arrested.

Darren Court, 43, was arrested on Thursday in West Auckland. He has since been charged in relation to two outstanding warrants concerning car theft and violence, issued after he failed to appear in Auckland District Court.

Detective Inspector Mark Gutry said it was too early to say what involvement he may have had in the shooting. Police would make a decision about further charges once they had finished talking to him.

"We knew he's been at the address at the time of the shooting ... so we wanted his version of events. I'm confident we've now spoken to everyone that was there at the time and, as a result of that, we're able to piece together exactly what took place."

Mr Snow is expected to be off work for months after he walked into a hail of gunfire early on Tuesday morning. He was hit four times, once in the chest, in one arm and both legs, when he and a colleague checked a car parked in the driveway of a Papatoetoe house about 4am.

A 28-year-old man, who has name suppression, was arrested on Wednesday and has since been charged with attempted murder.

Yesterday, Mr Snow revealed that the deaths of colleagues Senior Constable Len Snee and Sergeant Don Wilkinson flashed through his mind as he lay bleeding.

"There are a few plaques on the wall down at the police college and I was really scared that my name might be going up next at one stage. My heart goes out to those families who have lost police officers on the job," he told 3 News.

Mr Snee was killed by Napier gunman Jan Molenaar and Don Wilkinson was shot dead after he was disturbed putting a tracking device on a car outside a suspected drugs lab.

Mr Snow lost five litres of blood from the gunshots. A human body has six litres.

Mr Gutry said his colleague was still in a lot of pain. "The medical prognosis is good, it is just going to take time."

- © Fairfax NZ News