Funeral begins for 2 police officers killed in Innisfil, Ont., shooting
CBC
Mourning family members, police officers and other first responders filled a private funeral being held Thursday for two police officers fatally shot in the line of duty last week.
Constables Morgan Russell, 54, and Devon Northrup, 33, of the South Simcoe Police Service both died in hospital after responding to a call at a home in Innisfil, Ont., located about about 100 kilometres north of Toronto, on Oct. 11.
CBC News is carrying the funeral live. You can watch it in this story beginning at 11 a.m.
The funeral is being held at the Sadlon Arena in Barrie. South Simcoe police say the event is being attended by the families of the officers, members of the force and other police and emergency services, as well as government representatives.
As South Simcoe police Staff Sgt. David Phillips looked out at the crowd amassed for the service, he said that 10 days ago, he would have said his police force was 102 people strong.
"But today as I look out, I can see that I was wrong. Our policing family numbers in the thousands," he said.
Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell spoke solemnly, and called the deaths of the two men a "heartbreaking loss.
"I can only imagine the inconsolable grief their families must be experiencing," she said.
Ahead of the service, the funeral procession for the two officers got underway with police from across the province marching toward the stadium.
The procession moved through snowy Barrie streets, with uniformed members from the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police and local and Toronto forces participating, along with paramedics and other emergency responders.
Solemn music with bagpipes and drums filled the air during the march as people gathered along the side of the roads to observe and pay their respects.
Angela Hart was one of them. She lives in Bradford, Ont., and says South Simcoe Police officers patrol her community.
"It's hard. It's a small community, and to hear of something so horrific happening … it shakes you to your core," she said.
Kim Pegg also came to show support to the families of the officers who died. She told CBC News that her husband, Michael Pegg, was a York Regional Police officer who died of an off-duty injury in 2013.
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