'Our entire city is mourning': OPP officer raised in Barrie killed over holiday long weekend in Haldimand County
Flags at Barrie city hall will fly at half-mast in memory of a Barrie-raised OPP officer who was killed in the line of duty.
Const. Grzegorz (Greg) Pierzchala, a 28-year-old who had been with the OPP for less than a year, was killed while responding to reports of a vehicle in a ditch.
He was shot shortly after arriving at the scene, at Indian Line and Concession 14 in Haldimand County, at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 27). Two people have since been arrested in connection with his death, while the OPP say Brandi Stewart-Sperry, 30, of Hamilton and Randall McKenzie, 25, of Kingston have each been charged with murder in the first degree.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of OPP officer Greg Pierzchala, who was tragically taken from us in the line of duty yesterday, Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall said.
Const. Pierzchala grew up in Barrie, and our entire city is mourning alongside his colleagues, family and friends. To honour Const. Pierzchala's bravery and time served, the City of Barrie will be lowering the flags at city hall to half-mast on Wed. Dec. 28, 2022 at 11:45 a.m., as the community mourns this terrible loss, Nuttall added.
Pierzchala is being fondly remembered by educators at St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School in Barrie, from which he graduated in 2012.
Greg was an inspiration and positive influence to all, even as a young high school student, because he approached his life with incredible determination, compassion and joy. It is not surprising that he followed a career path of service to others, reads a statement from the school, provided to Simcoe.com.
The joint statement from educators at the Barrie high school points out that Pierzchala was very active in his high school years.
He was very involved in school life - excelling in academics and athletics, and even achieved senior athlete of the year after qualifying for OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) in swimming and wrestling and participating in soccer, track and field, weight training and rowing, reads the statement.
This love of athletics didn't stop at high school. Nicholas Cryer, head coach at the Kempenfelt Bay Athletic Club, points out that Pierzchala was a dedicated member before moving on in his career.
Greg was a great teammate, superb athlete and all-round great person. I will always remember Greg competing at both OFSAA swimming and OFSAA wrestling on the same day. An amazing accomplishment of dedication to two teams he was involved with. RIP buddy, said Cryer, via a Facebook post on Wednesday morning.
Details on funeral arrangements have yet to be released.
-With files from Janis Ramsay and Tara Lindemann.