Armed Offenders Squad members and police at HQ on Faraday St during the siege.
Armed Offenders Squad members and police at HQ on Faraday St during the siege.
Six years ago the nation was shocked by the gunning down of a Napier police officer and the armed siege that followed. Roger Moroney reports.
It is six years today since Napier came to a stunned standstill.
A police officer had been shot and killed and two others seriously wounded after a drug search of a Chaucer Rd, Napier Hill, property on May 7 turned into an explosive tragedy.
Jan Molenaar shot and killed Senior Constable Len Snee, and left his fellow officers Bruce Miller and dog handler Grant Diver fighting for their lives.
The incident became the "siege" of Napier as Molenaar continued to fire shots into nearby houses and into the air.
A massive cordon was laid out and the city effectively went into shut-down. The incident was resolved only after the gunman took his own life.
Being shot during the siege ended Lenny Holmwood's working life.
Mr Holmwood made a social call to his friend Jan Molenaar's house at the same time police raided its cannabis growing operation. Molenaar arrived home moments later and ordered everyone out of the house, before going on his shooting spree.
Mr Holmwood confronted Molenaar, wrestling for control of the weapon, which gave wounded officers time to escape. Mr Holmwood was thrown to the ground and shot in the hip.
Police officers risked their lives to extract him from the line of fire and he was in a coma for several days. It was 18 months before he could work but his hip deteriorated and he was forced on to a sickness benefit. His sciatic nerve was damaged, leaving him with a limp.
Last year, Hawke's Bay police staged a commemorative service for Mr Snee, as it was the fifth anniversary of the shooting.
Army vehicles were involved in rescuing residents from their homes in the cordoned-off area and retrieving dead police officer Len Snee's body. Photo / File
There was nothing official planned for today as police had agreed that the fifth anniversary had been significant and it was now time to move on.
Although one of the officers at the heart of it, Senior Constable Bruce Miller, said a small morning tea was planned for officers and some members of the public at the Taradale Community Station.
"That's all it will be - and some flowers will be laid in front of the Taradale Memorial," Mr Miller said.
The $290,898 Chaucer Rd, Napier home belonging to gunman Jan Molenaar was the most sizeable asset seized in the Bay since the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act in 2009. Photo / File
"But everyone will be remembering it. It is a day we all remember. It will be in my thoughts."
Also in their thoughts will be the late Inspector Kevin Kalff, who was on the frontline throughout the entire incident.
