The below statement is sent on behalf of Vanessa Andrews and Jorge Fuenzalida, two victims of the Cumberland Street Countdown Supermarket attack.
They will be making no further statement or answering further questions at this time, and ask that media continue to respect their privacy.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to all the people who were involved in our rescue at Countdown Supermarket recently; from the staff at Countdown Supermarket, to the Police, St John Ambulance, and the doctors, nurses, physio and all other staff at Dunedin Hospital.
What happened that day in Countdown is still very much on our minds. We try to help people where we can, and that day we heard people in distress. During the process we both got badly injured.
As this is still an open case with Police and the Courts, we are unable to give any more details of this tragic event, except to say this event has changed our lives for ever.
We would also like to express our thanks to all the staff at Otago Corrections Facility for their ongoing support. From the beginning they have been outstanding.
Also our thanks to the Police who have supported us and to NZ Customs.
We still have a long way to recover, but we are getting there one day at a time; with some good days and some not so good days.
Our thanks to the Media which has, in most cases, respected our request to have some time to recover and respect our privacy at this time.
Regards
Vanessa Andrews and Jorge Fuenzalida