Calgary reacts to ‘senseless’ deaths of Edmonton police officers; stirs up memories of Sgt. Harnett

The killing of two police officers in Edmonton Thursday morning triggered reactions from several Calgary police agencies, families, and the mayor.

The two constables – 35-year-old Travis Jordan and 30-year-old Brett Ryan – were responding to a family dispute call when they were shot. They didn’t have a chance to draw their weapons, according to Edmonton police.

The Calgary Police Association (CPA) described the incident as “senseless,” saying it’s a sad day for them.

“There’s mixed feelings. There’s obviously sadness and grief. There’s also anger, the senseless nature of what happened to those two officers in Edmonton,” said John Orr, president of the CPA. “Today is the day that we’re going to reflect on what happened. We’re going to grieve. Most importantly, we’re going to be there to support our brothers and sisters in Edmonton and their families and make sure they have what they need and to try to get through this.”

Orr adds the incident brings back the sadness associated with the loss of Calgary police Sgt. Andrew Harnett.

“I think the last few years we’ve seen a real rise in anti-police sentiment and violence towards the police as we’ve seen in Ontario and British Columbia and now Alberta. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that Calgary lost Sgt. Harnett,” said Orr.

In addition, the Calgary Police Commission told CityNews in a statement, such incidents should never be accepted and become part of our normal lives in Canada.

“No police officer should ever have to lay down their life in the service of their community, yet we are now seeing that happen over and over in Canada. It is something we must never accept as normal,” reads the statement.

‘It’s a horrible day’

Jason Harnett, Sgt. Andrew Harnett’s brother, told CityNews his family was in a similar situation, and it was “really sad.”

“It’s tragic. Our family was at the police officer/peace officer memorial in Edmonton where officers are honoured, and those officers that were killed today may have been there for Andrew. Remembering him. They may have been at Andrew’s funeral,” he said.

He adds the lives of the officers’ families will be forever changed.

“I look at their faces and I’ve seen pictures of them now, they just look so young and they look like they had really bright futures ahead. And today it was cut short and it’s going to change the entire path of their family and friends’ future going forward. It’s a horrible day.” he added.

Sgt. Andrew Harnett was 37 years old when he died on Dec. 31 2020. He was conducting a traffic stop on a vehicle in the northeast community of Falconridge when the 17-year-old driver and 19-year-old passenger drove away, dragging him for a significant distance. He was pronounced dead at hospital.

He served with the Calgary Police Service (CPS) for 12 years. He and his spouse Chelsea were expecting their first child at the time of his death.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek spoke to reporters about Thursday’s incident in Edmonton following meetings at City Hall.

“I would like to begin by expressing my incredible sorrow and sincere condolences to the families of Const. Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan who were tragically murdered while on a call in Edmonton in the early hours of morning,” she said. “My condolences to their Edmonton police family.”

Gondek says this is a reminder that any time an officer responds to a call, they have no idea what they will meet on the other end.

Flags outside Calgary police headquarters in the northeast were lowered to half mast in honour of the slain officers.

The CPS pays tribute to all its fallen officers throughout its history on its website. 

Calgary police has lost 12 officers in the line of duty since 1917, where six were shot and five were “victims of tragic accidents.”

— With files from Henna Saeed, Jillian code, and Tate Laycraft