Haldimand County’s mayor says the community is in mourning after an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was killed in the line of duty Tuesday near Hagersville.
“It was devastating to hear that one of our officers had been shot so violently, this is not something we are used to in Haldimand County. We are a community of 48,000 people and we do not have this type of violence in our community, it’s shocking,” Shelley Ann Bentley told CP24 Wednesday morning.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Const. Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala, 28, was responding to a call about a vehicle in a ditch near Indian Line and the 14th Concession.
When Pierzchala arrived at the scene and approached the vehicle, two occupants opened fire, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said.
Pierzchala was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead a short time later.
Police issued an alert for two suspects, 25-year-old Randall Mckenzie and an unidentified 30-year-old woman, seen fleeing the area in a vehicle. The alert advised residents to shelter in place while they searched for the suspects.
The suspects were arrested a short time later and the alert was canceled. It is not clear where the suspects were taken into custody.
Police are expected to announce charges today.
Around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, a procession was held for Pierzchala as his body was taken from West Haldimand Hospital to the Toronto Forensic Science Centre.
Officers from the OPP and Six Nations Police participated in the procession and were greeted by members of the Toronto Police, firefighters and paramedics.
In the wake of the shooting, CTV News public safety analyst and former OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis said police protocols related to these types of calls will likely be reviewed.
“They’re always reviewed after a tragedy, whether it’s a tactical operation or something like a so-called routine standoff. Violence occurs, the officers at the top will look at a variety of issues in terms of training, policy, type of command and control, security personnel, equipment and all that to see if you can learn something. And sometimes nothing,” he told CP24 on Wednesday.
Pierzchala, who was a former Queen’s Park special constable, learned yesterday that he successfully completed his 10-month probationary period as an OPP officer.
As a result of completing his probation, Pierzchala was able to go on his first solo patrol the Tuesday before he was killed. Carrique confirmed that Pierzchala was alone when he answered the call.
Pierzchala’s colleagues described him as an “exemplary” and “tremendous” officer, according to Carrique.
Bentley said he did not know Pierzchala personally, but knew he was actively involved in the community.
“Recently I saw a photo of him at the Caledonian fair. It seemed, you know, community-minded, just like all of us here in our community,” he said.
Bentley added that the community will support frontline officers during this difficult time.
“We also offer any services so they can get back to their lives. I’m sure the first responders on the scene are devastated today. I can’t even imagine what they’re going through today,” he said.
With files from CP24’s Bryann Aguilar