Mr Lance Bradford, NZBM, for an act of bravery
On 15 March 2019 around 1.40pm, a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic shotguns and assault rifles, with several hundred rounds of ammunition, commenced an attack on the Al Noor Mosque on Deans Avenue in Christchurch.
During the attack on the Mosque the gunman returned to his vehicle to collect further ammunition, and fired multiple shots along both directions of the street, on one occasion firing 27 shots in one direction.
Mr Lance Bradford was driving his utility vehicle along Deans Avenue in Christchurch at the time of the attack.
As he came to the Al Noor Mosque he saw eight to ten individuals lying on the ground in distress in the surrounding area.
Mr Bradford immediately pulled his vehicle over and began to walk back towards the Mosque.
As he did so, he could hear the sounds of gunshots and people screaming.
Mr Bradford began stopping members of the public who were seemingly unaware of the unfolding situation from heading in the direction of the Mosque.
Mr Bradford then made his way towards the Mosque, hiding behind cars, and found a man and young girl, who had both been shot.
While another man was assisting the young girl, Mr Bradford assisted the wounded man.
Mr Bradford and the other man then conferred in planning an evacuation for some of the wounded, as ambulances were not able to enter the immediate scene while it was unsecured.
After the arrival of the first armed Police responders, Mr Bradford went back to his vehicle and reversed it down the road to where the victims were.
With help from others, Mr Bradford loaded the wounded man and young girl into the vehicle, along with another man who had been shot in the leg.
Mr Bradford then drove the victims to the Christchurch Hospital emergency department.