A bench honouring the lives of the RCMP officers shot and killed last year in Moncton is in place at a park that was in the lockdown zone.

Stephane Lemay and about 30 other volunteers put together a fundraiser for the memorial a month after the tragedy.

Volunteer Tim McCleary was at the fundraiser, and says Lemay worked tirelessly to put it together to raise the $2,400.

“He was in charge of this operation and he had a lot people volunteering their time,” said McCleary. “They all put a lot of time in and it worked out well for everybody.”

The bench honouring Const. Doug Larche, Const. Dave Ross and Const. Fabrice Gevaudan was installed last week.

Lemay says he had an interaction with Const. Larche the night of the shooting that motivated him to make a memorial.

“(Larche) jumped out of the car and he started shooing me back and telling me to turn around,” said Lemay. “I started to back up and he was insistent that I turn around and not just back up.”

Lemay says upon reflection, he learned the man was Const. Larche.

“I put two and two together and realized it was officer Larche that had just gotten shot just as I was leaving the scene, so had he not done that I would have driven directly into the line of fire. So to me, he saved my life,” said Lemay.

He says he hopes the bench allows residents to appreciate what police do on a deeper level.

“Even if they knew he was targeting police they still would have done the same thing I am sure. It gives me chills just thinking about it,” said Lemay.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s David Bell.