‘Rest easy, brother’: Public, colleagues pay respects to slain OPP officer during procession
On an overcast Friday morning, scores of first responders, the lights of their vehicles flashing red and blue, lined up to salute slain OPP Const. Grzegorz Greg" Pierzchala as his procession began in Toronto.
Mayor John Tory attended the tribute to the rookie officer, along with members of the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Paramedic Services and the OPP. A helicopter flew overhead as the officer's body was driven out of the Centre of Forensic Sciences, near Humber River Hospital, in a black hearse.
The procession continued northbound along Hwy. 400 until it reached a funeral home in Pierzchala's hometown of Barrie, where his family was waiting. A funeral is expected to be held there on Jan. 4.
First responders and members of the public lined overpasses along the way, some saluting, others holding signs of support or Canadian flags.
Pierzchala was a member of the Haldimand detachment of the OPP. On Tuesday afternoon, mere hours after passing his probation period, he was fatally shot while responding to a call about a vehicle in a ditch at the border of Haldimand County and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, near Hagersville, Ont.
He later died in hospital.
Randall McKenzie, 25, and Brandi Crystal Lyn Stewart-Sperry, 30, have been charged with first-degree murder.
One onlooker, David Lefevre of Oro-Medonte, Ont., said it was important for him to show support.
I believe in police and first responders. My wife is an OPP officer, so it really hits home," said Lefevre, who said his stepson wrestled with Pierzchala when they were teenagers.
Lefevre held a Canadian flag with a vertical blue line running through the centre.
For some, it's a sign of respect for fallen officers and police more broadly. However, the symbol has been co-opted by far-right groups and those who oppose the Black Lives Matter movement, such as Blue Lives Matter. (The RCMP, along with police departments in Ottawa, Edmonton, Victoria and some other Canadian cities, have asked personnel not to wear it.)
The OPP streamed the procession live on social media, with poignant commentary from Evan Nohara, one of Pierzchala's platoon mates.
Nohara offered his fallen friend a final message as the cavalcade neared its destination: Welcome home, Greg. Rest easy, brother."
Shawn Geris, a Toronto officer who coached Pierzchala when he wrestled for York University, recalled the big smile" the 28-year-old officer wore every time he walked into a room.
That's something Geris said he'll miss most about Pierzchala, who was raised in Barrie and graduated from St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School in 2012.
After Pierzchala left York, the two stayed in touch. Sometimes Pierzchala would drop by to teach kids enrolled in Geris's youth wrestling club, always patient with the novice wrestlers.
He put his needs in front of other people. You couldn't ask for a gentler soul to be in this community of policing," he said.
Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg described police, firefighters and paramedics as members of one big family. When one falls, he said, everyone feels the impact.
It's absolutely tragic," he said. Every one of these police officers are people just like you and me. And they get up in the morning, they put their uniforms on, and they come to work as our guardians and our protectors. Without a second thought, they move towards danger for the purposes of keeping us safe. I have an utmost respect for them."
Pierzchala is the fourth Ontario police officer to be shot dead since September. In October, the funeral for two other fallen officers, Const. Morgan Russell and Const. Devon Northrup, was also held in Barrie and drew hundreds of attendees. The officers were killed responding to a domestic disturbance call near Innisfil.
During a Wednesday night press conference, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique offered a glimpse into the circumstances that led to Pierzchala's death. Carrique said the new constable, who hadn't discharged his weapon, was essentially ambushed" in a situation where he stood absolutely no chance of being able to defend himself."
The motive and timing of the slaying are all under investigation, Carrique said.
The commissioner added that he was outraged" by the fact that McKenzie - who had been charged with several violent offences in late 2021 - had been out on bail.
In a statement on Thursday night, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police described Pierzchala's death as tragic, disturbing, and preventable."
The organization called for reform to the bail process for violent repeat offenders and those who've committed crimes with firearms. The association said it would propose specific amendments to current legislation after mourning Pierzchala's death.
On Friday morning, Mayor Tory seconded the call for reform, urging a very serious examination" of how courts address repeat offenders. By further embracing surveillance technology, he said, the justice system could better monitor those released under strict conditions.
With the greatest of respect to what is a tough job, judges also have to start to take community safety much more into account in their dealings," Tory told the Star.
Premier Doug Ford firmly agrees.
Too many innocent people have lost their lives at the hands of dangerous criminals who should have been behind bars - not on our streets. Enough is enough," the premier said in an emailed statement on Thursday evening.
On the procession's livestream, Nohara described the call that led to Pierzchala's death as routine."
I know we're always supposed to be alert and aware, but you do that kind of call a hundred times, and it's so innocuous," he said.
And then to think that he's brutally taken away from us," continued Nohara. It's angering... Like I said before, I can only pray that there's some good that comes from this."
With files from Kieran Leavitt, the Barrie Advance and the Canadian Press.
Ben Mussett is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: bmussett@thestar.ca