Bravery medals awarded for helping stop knife attack

A corrections officer awarded the Bravery Star for his role in thwarting a man’s frenzied knife attack said the trauma of the day would live with him forever.

Jorge Fuenzalida was one of seven people who were presented with bravery awards at a special investiture ceremony at the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday.

Their awards were presented by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.

On May 10, 2021, Luke James Lambert, armed with two kitchen knives, went on a frenzied rampage in Woolworths, then called Countdown, in Central Dunedin.

Lambert was in the pharmacy aisle when he attacked a staff member, injuring four people, including staff and shoppers.

Mr Fuenzalida and wife Vanessa Miller-Andrews were shopping at the supermarket that afternoon when they heard a commotion in the pharmacy aisle.

Lambert, who had already attacked two supermarket workers, stabbed Mr Fuenzalida in the neck while he fought to disarm the attacker even as he bled profusely.

Ms Miller-Andrews tried to drag her husband away and was grabbed by Lambert, who stabbed her twice.

Lambert then approached Mr Fuenzalida and stabbed him again. Ms Miller-Andrews attempted to cover her husband with her body and was stabbed again.

Mr Fuenzalida and Ms Miller-Andrews were awarded a New Zealand Bravery Star and a New Zealand Bravery Decoration, respectively, for their roles in the incident.

Mr Fuenzalida said he and his wife simply did what many New Zealanders would have done when someone’s life was threatened.

"You don’t do things to get a medal. The medal is just some sort of acknowledgement of what you did.

"I’m just thankful Vanessa was there with me."

Ms Miller-Andrews said they were lucky to be alive.

"I was trying to protect him, and if I had waited for police, he’d be dead."

Mr Fuenzalida said the trauma would remain forever.

"It’s very hard ... mentally and physically — trauma does not know time, trauma is there forever.

"It has been a very hard road and we’ve still got a long way to go."

Dallas Wilson was working as store manager that day.

Yesterday, he was also awarded a New Zealand Bravery Star for his actions during the stabbing.

He said he was very proud to receive the award.

"It’s been four years, it has been a long journey since then and this is a way to work on moving on ... this is something that’s going to remain with us forever, really," Mr Wilson said.

Mr Wilson was the first to intervene when Lambert was attacking the staff member.

He ran towards the attacker and held him around his upper body from behind.

In the ensuing struggle, Mr Wilson was stabbed multiple times as Lambert broke free from his grip.

Supporting him at the ceremony was his partner, two children, mother and new employers.

"I’m very humbled."

Four more Dunedin residents who helped were also awarded New Zealand Bravery Medals.

They were Ron Andrew, the store manager who called emergency services, kicked the knife away and helped pin Lambert to the ground as he struggled with police; Hope Clayton, who struck Lambert twice in the back of the head with her cellphone and yelled "man with a knife" to alert others; Ryan Ramsay, an employee, who assisted in disarming Lambert and took off his jersey to apply pressure to victims’ wounds; and Detective Constable Jeremy Toschi, an off-duty police officer, who grabbed items from shelves and threw them at Lambert to distract him, dragged one of the victims away to prevent further injury and restrained the offender until back-up arrived.

laine.priestley@odt.co.nz