-
Watch Video
-
Related
Investigations into the Napier siege have begun as police try to find out how an everyday cannabis search claim at a house left a police officer dead and a town terrorised.
For around three days, the residents of Napier lived in fear of gunman Jan Molenaar, who killed policeman Len Snee and injured two other officers just outside his home. A neighbour was also badly injured.
Due to his actions, police had to cordon off the entire house and the area around it, which meant several of his neighbours and other residents, had to leave their homes and made to stay in temporary shelters.
Even hours after he died, police could not let those residents back into their homes after explosives were found in Molenaar's house.
On Sunday, most of them were finally allowed to return back after police bomb squad declared Molenaar's house safe.
Patrick Honan, a resident who had to leave his home, says he's just happy that ordeal is over.
"Yeah I am rapt, I am rapt that everyone is ok. You know everyone is safe and it's good to be home yeah. The past few days have been worrying about what's going on," says Honan.
Unfortunately for the time being 11 homes are still being cordoned off and their occupants told it will take a few more days until they are allowed to return.
Rod Drew, Detective Superintendent and inquiry head into the Molenaar case, says safety is the reason for the continuing cordon.
"I can tell you that the scene is very much in the style of a strong hold, there are many military style semi automatic weapons and a large amount of ammunition and there is also a lot of booby traps and some improvised explosive devises," says Drew.
Police say residents had to be removed from their houses as guns used by Molenaar were so powerful that houses even a 100m away from where he was shooting had around nine to 15 bullet holes in them
Residents are now recollecting how the events folded three days ago. One resident told ONE News that they looked out of their window at 9.30 in the morning and saw a man lying across the road, after they heard gun shots going off.
They then saw the man starting to crawl towards a car, and then heard arguments and shouting, before a few more gun shots went off.
Other residents told ONE News how they spent 10 hours in jail after they were arrested for not listening to police danger warnings to leave their homes.
Chevelle Leese was one of those who were arrested. She says her flatmates would not listen to police to leave and they were then all arrested for obstruction.
On Sunday, police units were still at Molenaar's home and it didn't look like they were planning on leaving very soon.
"At this stage we have managed to complete a rece (reconnaissance)of the scene, we've started out planning for the scene examination and we've put in place some protection for some of the outside parts of the scene which are critical to us," Detective Drew said.
It is a scene which will relinquish more of Jan Molenaar's secrets.
Police have said they will be holding a media conference on Monday ay 9.30am.
They plan to reveal at the conference what the post mortem results were for slain officer Len Snee and also where Snee was shot at and how he died.
An account has been set up for the families of the police officers involved in the Napier shooting. If you wish to give donations to the families of the victims, the details of the bank account to use are as follows:
Bank: Westpac
Account No: 03-0698-0544551-000
Account Name: Police Casualty Donation Account
Latest NZ News Video
-
ONE News Minute 9am update: May 26 (1:00)
-
Kids cough up $14m for Government (1:50)
-
Education ministry 'barbaric' (1:55)