PAPATOETOE, New Zealand, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A New Zealand police officer was literally an inch away from death when the inch-thick notebook in his breast pocket stopped a bullet, officials said.
Jeremy Snow, was shot in an attack in Paptoetoe Tuesday, and though he was wounded, was saved by the notebook and the stab-proof vest all front-line officers are required to wear, the Dominion Post in Wellington reported.
A 28-year-old man whose name was not disclosed was charged with attempted murder during a hearing at his hospital bedside after he was wounded by a police dog.
Darren Thomas Court, 43, who was suspected to have been at the crime seen, is being hunted by police, the newspaper said.
Snow, one year into his service as an officer, was shot in the legs and elbow. One bullet punctured his femoral artery and officials said he would have bled to death had his fellow officers not rescued him before apprehending the gunman.
"The first thing he said to me was 'I'm not quitting' ... Jeremy is clearly a very brave officer," Police Minister Judith Collins said during her visit to Snow.
The accused man is being held pending his court appearance Jan. 12.
