By Kate Lynch
Shot police constable Jeremy Snow has dedicated Christmas 2009 to the colleagues who saved his life.
Mr Snow told 3 News that after he was shot four times he thought he was going to die.
But he's a fighter, and says he will never give up and is not giving up his job either.
Middlemore Hospital in Auckland is not where Mr Snow meant to spend Christmas this year.
But he's lucky to be celebrating Christmas at all, and his mum Colleen says she couldn't be more thankful.
“Grateful that he's alive, I really am. I mean he's a bit bunged up but grateful that we've still got him - God's been really good,” she says.
3 News can reveal that Mr Snow lost five litres of blood when he was shot; the human body only contains six litres in total.
Three days later and after hours of surgery, the 28-year-old is sitting up and chatting. He even had Christmas dinner surrounded by family.
“That’s what Christmas day is about, about family, about friends, about love and being there for each other and this has really brought the family together,” says Mr Snow.
He told 3 News something he hadn't even told his family yet, that as he lay bleeding the names Len Snee and Don Wilkinson flickered through his mind.
“There are a few plaques on the wall down at police college that I was really scared that my name might be going up next at one stage,” he says.
“So my heart goes out to those families who have lost police officers on the job.”
Mr Snow hasn't given a formal statement to police, who are still gathering evidence.
Yesterday they arrested and charged a second man, 43-year-old Darren Court, in connection with the shooting.
Detective inspector Mark Gutry, of Counties Manukau Police, says Court was located after an afternoon of door knocking.
“We were around knocking on doors of friends and associates of his and late yesterday afternoon we located him at an address in West Auckland,” he says.
Detectives believe Court was there when Mr Snow was shot, so what he knows is vital.
“I'm confident we've now spoken to everyone that was there at the time and as a result of that we're able to piece together exactly what took place,” he says.
Another man, who has name suppression, has been charged with attempting to murder Mr Snow.
Both men will appear in court on Tuesday, but right now Mr Snow's family are only thinking of his recovery.
“He's still got open wounds, which they're waiting to make sure there's no infection so there will be other surgery to close the wounds up,” says Mr Snow’s father David.
“But the physio was there this morning and the doctors have been there so he's on the way of recovery, it'll just take time.”
3 News