OPP Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala was shot and killed in the line of duty outside of Hagersville Ontario while responding to a call. According to initial reports Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala was responding to a call regarding a vehicle in the ditch in the area of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and next to Six Nations of the Grand River. The Constable would be fired upon and would later die from his injuries.
An alert went out telling people to stay in place while an intensive search for the male and female suspects. OPP would arrest a man and a woman shortly after. The male has been identified as 25-year-old Randall McKenzie (photo below) and Brandi Crystal Lyn Stewart-Sperry, 30, (see photo below.
OPP Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala Shot And Killed More News
Two people are in custody after an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was shot and killed in Hagersville, Ont.
Sources told Global News the officer was fatally shot on Tuesday, after stopping a vehicle that had been reported missing.
In a video posted to Twitter, the force said the incident occurred at around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday in the Indian Line and Concession 14 Walpole.
According to police, the officer was responding to a vehicle in a ditch.
The force said the officer was shot and was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police said he was pronounced deceased in hospital
In a tweet later Tuesday evening, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique identified the deceased officer as Provincial Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala.
He said Pierzchala was killed while “courageously serving in the line of duty.”
“Our hearts are with his loved ones and all OPP members at this tragic time,” he wrote.
In a press release, the force said Pierzchala was 28-years-old and had been an OPP officer for just over a year.
According to police, a male and female were seen fleeing from the scene after the shooting.
In an emergency alert issued Tuesday evening, the force said it was searching for 25-year-old Randall McKenzie, in a black, Chevrolet pickup truck.
The alert also included a photo of a woman, but did not identify or provide a description of her.
The alert said the suspects were believed to be armed, and requested members of the public in the area shelter in place while officers investigated
In an update just before 7 p.m., police confirmed to Global News that two suspects had been located in the bush and were taken into custody.
The alert was cancelled shortly after.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
In a statement emailed to Global News, Hagersville Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley expressed her condolences.
“This is a horrific incident,” the statement read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the officers family, as well as the OPP and first responders.”
Bentley said the incident is “currently under investigation.”
“On behalf of the county I express our deepest condolences and support in this tragedy,” she said.
In a tweet, Kawartha Lakes Police said the force’s “thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and colleagues of the #OPP officer who was killed in the line of duty today.”
Toronto Mayor John Tory offered his “heartfelt condolences” to Pierzchala’s family, colleagues, friends and community in a tweet Tuesday.
“We are all shocked and saddened by the tragic death of OPP Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala near Hagersville today,” he wrote.
Tory said the incident is a “sad reminder of the huge sacrifice law enforcement officers are called upon to make in serving and protecting us.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was “horrified” by the incident.
“Thank you to the officers who apprehended the suspects without incident,” he said in a tweet. “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.”
Hagersville is located approximately 50 kilometres southwest of Hamilton or about 30 kilometres south of Brantford.
OPP Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala Shot And Killed Other News
Murder charges were filed Wednesday against two people arrested after an Ontario Provincial Police officer Grzegorz Pierzchala was shot to death while on duty.
Court documents show that Randall McKenzie, 25, and Brandi Crystal Lyn Stewart-Sperry, 30, each faces one count of first-degree murder. The two are set for a court appearance Jan. 17.
Police said Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala, 28, was killed Tuesday afternoon while responding to a vehicle in a ditch just west of Hagersville, Ontario, about 28 miles southwest of Hamilton.
Thomas Carrique, commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, said at a news conference that Pierzchala was “essentially ambushed” after arriving at the scene and had “absolutely no chance of being able to defend himself.″
Police were still investigating the shooting to determine a motive and other details, he said.
Carrique alleged the suspects robbed a citizen of their vehicle at the scene after the officer was shot.
Grzegorz Pierzchala had been with the force for just over a year and had recently been notified that he had passed his 10-month probation period, the commissioner said.
Haldimand County Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley visited the shooting scene Wednesday with other community members to pay tribute to the officer.
“It is heartbreaking, disturbing, very upsetting for our community,″ she said. “These things just don’t happen in Haldimand County.″
