Death of B.C. Mountie casts pall over law enforcement across Canada
CTV
The death of a Metro Vancouver RCMP officer who was shot dead while executing a search warrant is reverberating with law enforcement officials across the country.
The death of a Metro Vancouver RCMP officer who was shot dead while executing a search warrant is reverberating with law enforcement officials across the country.
The National Police Federation, which represents RCMP members across Canada, says it has launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign for the family of Const. Rick O'Brien, 51, who died yesterday in Coquitlam, B.C.
Kevin Halwa, chair of the federation's Benevolent Foundation, says calling the mood in the law enforcement community sombre “would be an understatement.”
Halwa says the tragedy is a powerful reminder of the risks police officers take on in their daily work once they “step up to serve.”
Police say two other officers were injured in the incident, and a suspect in his 20s was also shot and is in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Condolences from a number of law enforcement officials and agencies have poured in on social media, including federal Justice Minister Arif Virani, the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police and Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis.
The GoFundMe campaign for O'Brien's family has raised $41,170 since launch, with a goal of ultimately raising $50,000.
