Shot police upbeat despite wounds

Police dog Gage's body lies on the road after he was shot during a routine search. Photo / Simon Baker

He was lucky to survive being shot, and has lost his "best friend", but veteran police dog handler Bruce Lamb is still managing to maintain his sense of humour.

The 50-year-old father of three and Constable Mitchel Alatalo, 30, were still recovering in hospital last night from gunshot injuries they suffered during a seemingly routine job in Christchurch on Tuesday.

Australian-born Mr Alatalo could be released as soon as this morning after treatment to a gunshot wound in his upper thigh, said local Police Association head Craig Prior, who visited the pair in hospital yesterday.

Mr Lamb would be there for a few more days after his jaw was shattered by a bullet, and was still in pain.

"But he's doing pretty good too. Most of the time he's the same old Bruce - he's a very easygoing sort of guy, with a good sense of humour," Mr Prior told the Herald.

"His jaw's been fixed and he's obviously on pureed food, and drinking through a straw and stuff, and he can see the funny side of that at the moment."

His wife, Jill, had joked that additional screws could be put in her husband's jaw to stop him talking.

Mr Lamb was sorely missing his "best friend", police dog Gage, shot and killed in Tuesday's incident while protecting his handler.

Mr Lamb had taken on Gage when probably no other handler could have, Mr Prior said.

"He knows how lucky he is, and how close he has come [to death]. They both do."

Mr Prior said that while the issue of their careers had not been specifically discussed, he got the impression neither officer would be giving up his job.

"Bruce is a 32-year veteran with a distinguished career, and it's going to take a little bit more than [being shot] to finish him in the job. Mitch is just entering his career ... he loves the job and he joined the job to make a difference. And at this stage, I still see that want and desire in him."

Mrs Lamb said: "Most of Bruce's working life is with dog section and he wouldn't have it any other way".

Canterbury police district commander Dave Cliff revealed yesterday that the man who allegedly shot the two officers was not licensed to have the two rifles and shotgun found at his home.

A third officer had tried to subdue him with a Taser but was unsuccessful. The alleged gunman, Christopher Smith, is now being held in custody, following his arrest in which a rifle was accidentally fired.

Mr Lamb had been doing plenty of "soul-searching" about how he could have approached the incident differently, Mr Cliff said.

He had raised the issue of whether he should have taken a firearm from his police car into the callout with him, but equally did not think it would have made a difference.

"I have absolutely reassured [the officers] they have done the right thing," Mr Cliff said.

ALLEGED GUNMAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER

Christopher Graeme Smith, 34, a process worker of Christchurch, appeared in Christchurch District Court briefly yesterday to face charges of attempting to murder police officers Mitchel Mikko Alatalo, 30, and Bruce Malcolm Lamb, 50, on Tuesday.

He is also charged with using a firearm against another police officer, Daniel Isherwood, having a "pig knife" in his possession with an intention to use it to cause bodily injury, intentionally killing police dog Gage and cultivating cannabis.

Smith entered no plea, and has been remanded for two weeks in custody to reappear in court on July 28.

Arising from the same armed incident, Steven Paul Smith, 31, unemployed, is charged with possession of cannabis. He did not appear before a judge yesterday, and was released on bail to also reappear in court on July 28.