‘An exemplary officer’: Tributes pour in for OPP officer shot and killed near Hagersville
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Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was a boy.
Haldimand OPP posted this photo on social media of Const. Greg Pierzchala at the Caledonia Fair in October. Pierzchala, 28, was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, near Hagersville. (OPP/Twitter photo) Article content
Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was a boy.
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Pierzchala became a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and served as a special constable at Queen’s Park before landing his dream job one year ago as an OPP officer in Haldimand County.
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But that dream turned into a nightmare on Tuesday when Pierzchala, 28, was shot and killed after responding to a vehicle in the ditch west of Hagersville.
“This is a man who at five years old decided he wanted to be a police officer and he had a brief opportunity to live out his dream and to do his best to keep our community safe,” OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said at a late-night press conference Tuesday.
“Unfortunately he paid the ultimate price.”
OPP officer shot and killed near Hagersville had just passed probation 
OPP expected to announce charges in fatal shooting of officer near Hagersville Pierzchala, who graduated from the Ontario Police College in Aylmer one year ago, had just learned that he had passed his probationary period with the OPP on the day he died, Carrique said.
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Carrique said he spoke with Pierzchala’s platoon mates at the hospital and they described him as “an exemplary officer” and a “tremendous individual.”
Pierzchala responded around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to a vehicle in the ditch at the intersection of Indian Line and Concession 14, just west of Hagersville, where he was shot on arrival and pronounced dead at the hospital, OPP said.
Two suspects fled the scene and were arrested later following large-scale search that involved a helicopter, police dogs and dozens of officers.
The OPP put out an “alert ready” message to residents in the area, warning them to stay inside while police searched for armed suspects, but that warning was lifted after the pair was arrested.
The alert included a photo of one of the suspects, Randall McKenzie, 25, and a description of the vehicle, a 2021 black Chevrolet pickup truck. Police didn’t release the name of the second suspect, a 30-year-old woman.
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Photos of two suspects released in the OPP’s ‘shelter in place’ emergency alert. The alert showed a picture and description of a 25-year-old man named Randall McKenzie, right, following the fatal shooting of an OPP officer near Hagersville on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. The alert also released a photo of a woman but did not provide a description of her. (OPP photo)
Charges in the case will be announced Wednesday and the OPP will hold a press conference in the afternoon, OPP media officer Const. Ed Sanchuk said, adding the details on the time and location are still be finalized.
Sanchuk also appealed for anyone in the area at the time of the fatal shooting, including motorists with dash-camera footage, to contact the OPP.
The death of Pierzchala – the fifth Ontario police officer to die in the line of duty since September – marks the first time an OPP officer has been killed in southwestern Ontario since Const. Vu Pham, 37, was died in a shootout with Fred Preston, 70, who also died, on a rural road east of Clinton on March 8, 2010.
Police officers and other first responders braved sub-zero temperatures Tuesday night to line the road and gather on highway overpasses as Pierzchala’s body was transported from the hospital in Haldimand to Centre for Forensic Science in Toronto.
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The head of the Ontario Provincial Police Association said Pierzchala’s death highlights the dangers of policing.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Greg’s family, friends and colleagues. Greg’s service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. He will always be remembered as hero in life, not death,” association president John Cerasuolo said in a statement.
“Our members go to work every day to serve and protect the citizens of Ontario. They do a dangerous job 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year throughout the province of Ontario. This situation demonstrates that there is no such thing as a routine call in policing.”
The officer’s death drew condolences from police forces and politicians across the country.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a tweet that he was “horrified by the killing of an on-duty OPP officer.”
“Our first responders are true heroes. We share in the pain felt by family, friends and the entire police community as Ontario mourns this loss,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Twitter.
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Heartbreaking news from Haldimand County, where Ontario Provincial Police Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala has been killed in the line of duty. To his family, friends, and colleagues — the thoughts of all Canadians are with you.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 28, 2022
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the news of Pierzchala’s death “heartbreaking.”
“To his family, friends, and colleagues — the thoughts of all Canadians are with you,” Trudeau said said on Twitter.
London police Chief Steve Williams offered condolences to Pierzchala’s family, friends and colleagues and offered to support and assist in anyway.
dcarruthers@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/DaleatLFPress
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