Hero partner of slain Queensland cop Brett Forte an award winning police officer
The partner of Senior Constable Brett Forte used her bare hands to rip a hole in the windscreen of her upturned police vehicle so her wounded comrade could be dragged away from gunman Rick Maddison's line of fire.
It was courage under fire for Senior Constable Cath Nielsen, the partner of slain Queensland police officer Forte, who The Courier-Mail reports is an award-winning officer with a reputation for dismantling organized crime.
Nielsen and Forte followed known criminal Maddison in a low speed chase earlier in the week during the Lockyer Valley siege.
Under a barrage of bullets, the officers attempted to reverse their vehicle but it rolled on difficult terrain, trapping the pair inside.
It was then quick-thinking Nielsen reportedly used her baton to smash through the vehicle's windscreen.
She then used her bare hands to create a hole big enough to get an injured Forte through after one of Maddison's bullets struck and wounded him.
Despite the brave attempt, Forte died soon after as a result of his injuries.
Nielsen joined the force in 1999 and since then has received multiple honours, the newspaper reports.
“A hero lost his life today,” state police minister Mark Ryan said in a statement on the day Senior Constable Forte died.
Senior Constable Forte served with the Queensland Police Service for more than 15 years and was part of Toowoomba's Tactical Crime Squad.
"As you would well imagine, the whole family is devastated," Police Commissioner Ian Stewart at the time of the death.
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"Both his own family, the family of his wife and their extended family. We've lost a fine son today.
"Whilst the full circumstances of today's tragic incident are still being determined, I want to highlight the tremendous bravery and tenacity of our police officers and the incredible dangers they face on a daily basis in keeping our community safe,” Stewart also stated.
The slain officer's father, Stuart Forte, thanked the many members of the Toowoomba community that had offered their support for the family.
"The fact that the public are behind all the first responders and everything is just so great, that's an open way of showing how much the community are behind them," he said.
Senior Constable Forte's funeral with full police honours will be held on Wednesday at the University of South Queensland in Toowoomba.
