Hundreds of police came out Wednesday to attend the funeral of an Ontario Provincial Police officer who was shot dead in an ambush last week on the Niagara Peninsula.
Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala, 28, was fatally shot while responding to a call for a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville, south of Hamilton, Ontario Provincial Police said ( POP). Two people have been charged with first degree murder in the case.
Police say Constable Pierzchala has been a member of the OPP for just over a year. Hours before his death, he was informed that he had just completed his 10-month probationary period.
Mr. Pierzchala had previously been a soldier and a constable in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He already dreamed as a child of becoming a policeman and his colleagues remember him as a wonderful policeman with a heart of gold.
Justyna Pierzchala said on Wednesday that her older brother takes his role of watching over her very seriously. “He always made sure I was in the right place, both mentally and physically, and always checked that I was going in the right direction,” she said. Greg was more than just a cop. Died as a hero, he lived as a source of inspiration. »
His brother Michal said that “what really separated him from others was his high standards for everything in his life”.
“He made us want to be a better person, to improve our own lives, and I can’t imagine a better influence anyone could have. »
The policeman’s family recalled Wednesday that Greg Pierzchala loved martial arts, nature, reading, and could contemplate paintings in a museum for hours. His colleagues said the young man enjoyed serving his community.
PPO PHOTO, SUPPLIED BY THE CANADIAN PRESS
Grzegorz Pierzchala
A procession of police
The Ontario Premier and Lieutenant Governor also joined Pierzchala’s family on Wednesday for the funeral at Sadlon Arena in Barrie, the officer’s hometown, as rain poured down outside on a dismal Wednesday morning.
Before the private funeral, the police paraded in a procession through the streets of Barrie, under the emotional gaze of several citizens. Then, inside the arena, officers were asked to remove their peaked caps as Mr Pierzchala’s coffin was carried to the front of the auditorium.
“This brave young man died just two days after Christmas,” Premier Doug Ford said. It’s another tough reminder that the job of a police officer is a total commitment […] a painful reminder that policing is a vocation that involves the whole family. »
“The people he truly served will never forget your sacrifice,” Ford told the officer’s family. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your son and brother with us. »
Court documents show that several months before the shooting, one of the two people charged with the murder, 25-year-old Randall McKenzie, had been denied bail in a separate case involving a number of assault and weapons charges, but was released after a review of his case. A warrant for his arrest was later issued for him when he failed to show up for a court date in August, according to court documents.
Since the shooting, calls have grown for the federal government to reform its bail policy.
Michal Pierzchala said Wednesday that his brother was well aware of the risks of this profession, but that he nevertheless chose this path. He pointed out that the words of one of his brother’s favorite authors, Charles Dickens, fit well at the funeral.
“I see a splendid city and a brilliant people emerging from this abyss. I see the lives for which I give mine, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy lives […] I could never accomplish anything better; I could never know better rest. ” (in A tale of two cities)