Police say the outpouring of support from the community following the death of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming on New Years Day means “more than you will ever know”.
Lyn died after she was allegedly run down by a car while on duty in Buxton Carpark early in the hours of New Years Day.
Atawhai resident Shelley Bishop saw an “outpouring of grief” on social media and decided to organise a vigil for Lyn in Nelson on Friday.
“People were feeling helpless, they wanted to do something,” she says.
Nelson Bays Police area commander Steve Collins described Lyn as the cornerstone of the Nelson police.
“She’s frankly irreplaceable. She was experienced, dedicated, intelligent, genuine,” he told the crowd of more than 1000 that gathered at the Church Steps on Friday.
Lyn was also the coach of the Nelson College for Girls’ Senior A netball team, and had spent more than a decade dedicating her time to grow the sports programme.
“She was a leader to look up to, a shoulder to lean on, and a woman who was strong and selfless,” the college shared.
No stranger to tragedy herself, Shelley says police were “incredible” after her grandson Lochie was killed by a drunk driver on Waimea Rd in 2018 while her daughter was 30 weeks pregnant.
“Where would we be without them? They’re vital in every aspect,” she says of emergency services.
Initially Shelley thought maybe 50-60 people would attend the vigil, that’s what she told the Nelson Police Station when she popped by the day prior.
But everyone quickly realised it had grown to be a show of solidarity for Nelson’s frontline.
Since the vigil, Shelley has been receiving messages of thanks for allowing the community to show their support for police and emergency responders.
“A lady stopped me in the street and thanked me because her husband was a former police officer, and she said it had humanised police.
“One message said [Police] were feeling really low and just yuck and to stand up there and see the compassionate faces was very humbling.”
Constable Jamie White shared his thanks following the vigil.
“Nelson is an incredible community and to see everyone unite and stand together in solidarity was something I will never forget. It was an incredible honour to Lyn’s life and legacy,” he said.
“The support of the wider Nelson/Whakatu community for police and emergency services means more than you will ever know.”
Shelley says she is “stunned” at how the vigil turned out and thinks it was the perfect way to honour Lyn’s life.
“It’s us showing the police, ‘we’ve got you’.”
A 32-year-old man has appeared in court charged with murder and multiple other charges.
