Police officers, public salute procession for slain OPP cop

Hundreds of first responders and members of the public paid tribute Friday morning to a slain Ontario Provincial Police officer who was shot dead earlier this week.

The procession carrying 28-year-old Const. Greg Pierzchala’s body travelled from the coroner’s office in Toronto and ended in his hometown of Barrie, Ont. about an hour later.

Police officers, various first responders and members of the public packed onto overpasses along the highway route, raising their hands as a sign of respect, as the hearse and police cars with flashing lights passed by.

Paying our respects to #OPP Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala as the procession escorts him home to Barrie. #HeroesInLife #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/9Ysu1xH0mJ

— South Simcoe Police (@SouthSimcoePS) December 30, 2022

Dozens of officers including Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique were at the funeral home in Barrie when the procession arrived and a number of officers carried Pierzchala’s coffin inside as their colleagues saluted him.

A police funeral will be held on Jan. 4 with details to be announced once they have been finalized.

Police say Pierzchala responded to a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville, Ont., Tuesday afternoon and was fatally shot in an ambush when he arrived.

The investigation into the shooting continues.

Randall McKenzie, 25, and Brandi Crystal Lyn Stewart-Sperry, 30, each face a charge of first-degree murder in his death.

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Court documents showed McKenzie had been initially denied bail in a previous case and was later granted it upon review in the months before this week’s shooting.

McKenzie was denied bail in December 2021, court documents show, as he awaited trial in Hamilton on a number of charges after he allegedly assaulted three people, including a peace officer, earlier that month. He was also facing a number of related weapons charges, including carrying a handgun with a defaced serial number.

But after the decision was reviewed, McKenzie was granted bail in June under strict conditions, including that he wear a GPS monitor, report to police twice a week, live with his surety, and not possess any weapons. He was ordered to only leave his residence with his surety for medical emergencies, to attend meetings with his lawyer or to attend counselling recommended by a local Indigenous centre.

When he failed to show up for a court date in August, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The documents do not indicate the reasons for either bail decision.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday night, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said he was “outraged” that McKenzie had been out on bail before he allegedly killed Pierzchala.

“I know there’s a lot of interest to see that changes are made to ensure, where possible, people who are charged with violent offences that are firearms related are not in those positions moving forward,” he said during a news conference.

On Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Carrique’s comments were the latest plea for the federal government to address what he called the revolving door of violent criminals caused by “the failed bail system.”

“Too many innocent people have lost their lives at the hands of dangerous criminals who should have been behind bars – not on our streets,” Ford said in a statement.

“Enough is enough. More must be done to fix a system that is far too often sacrificing the safety of our public and police officers instead of cracking down on the perpetrators who repeatedly commit these heinous crimes.”