A police officer lost his life and two of his colleagues were injured early Thursday morning in eastern Ontario when they were hit by firearm projectiles in Clarence-Rockland.
The shooting reportedly occurred around 2 a.m. in the Bourget area, located about fifty kilometers east of Ottawa.
It appears that the three OPP officers attended a residence on Laval Street after at least one person heard a gunshot.
Upon arrival, the three officers were targeted by gunfire, police said on social media, around 7 a.m.
Officers were taken to hospital in Ottawa; the death of one of them was confirmed by the police. The two injured were recovering from their injuries at daybreak.
The Ontario Provincial Police have reported that a suspect has been arrested and public safety is no longer at risk.
A few hours after the tragedy, the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, Thomas Carrique, announced on social networks the identity of the victim: Sergeant Eric Mueller.
A large security perimeter has been erected near the residence where the shooting occurred.
Officers from the Ottawa Police Service were seen in Bourget, assisting their provincial police colleagues.
Another crime drama
In a statement, Premier Doug Ford shared his thoughts with the family of Mr Mueller, who he said was “senselessly killed in the line of duty”.
The Ontario Provincial Police Association said it was “devastated” to learn of the shooting.
“Our officer will forever be remembered as a hero in life,” the association representing Ontario Provincial Police officers said in a statement.
The Ontario police force is thus once again shaken by a shooting. Last weekend, the names of four officers killed last year were added to the Ontario Police Memorial as part of an annual ceremony of remembrance.
Toronto police officer Andrew Hong was shot dead in what police described as an ambush Sept. 12 at a Tim Hortons in Mississauga, Ont. A month later, South Simcoe police officers Devon Northrup and Morgan Russell were killed after responding to a call in Innisfill, Ontario.
On December 27, the Ontario Provincial Police announced that Constable Greg Pierzchala had been shot and killed in an ambush.