A sea of police officers lines Bayview Drive in south-end Barrie this morning as they pay their final respects to Const. Morgan Russell and Const. Devon Northrup.
The funeral cortege is underway through Barrie as police, emergency services workers and members of the community pay tribute to a pair of officers killed in the line of duty last week in Innisfil.
"It's a very sombre event for a lot of people, especially when it's close to your community," Randy Heshka told BarrieToday as he watched along the route. "With my family being with the police, it does hit close to home."
Heshka said both his brother and sister were police officers, having retired in recent years.
"My brother worked with Morgan (at the South Simcoe Police Service)," he said. "It just hits way too close to home, especially when it's one of his friends, one of his colleagues. It means a lot to me, as well, because of the way it affects him, too."
"I think it's an important to all of us," said Barbara Mackie, who was also watching along the route. "They're here to serve us and it's only appropriate that we're all out here. It's just to show support."
Constables Morgan Russell, 54, and Devon Northrup, 33, were shot and killed last Tuesday by a man inside the home after responding to a call in Innisfil. The officers had responded to a "disturbance" at the Alcona home around 8 p.m., Oct. 11.
The mortally wounded officers were rushed to hospital by emergency run where Northrup died. Russell was airlifted to a Toronto trauma centre and succumbed to his injuries early the next morning. The 22-year-old man identified as the shooter was pronounced dead after an "exchange of gunfire" with a third officer at the scene.
A private funeral service for the two officers is being held this morning at Sadlon Arena in south-end Barrie.
Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon spoke to Village Media earlier this week on Inside the Village.
"For every person who is called to a career in law enforcement, and it is a calling, policing in Canada is a profession, it's a noble profession, it's a respected profession," said Leon, who is a retired Ontario Provincial Police officer after a 30-year career. "If you are called to be a member of the law enforcement community and you are in a sworn capacity where you are in uniform, you know there's risks and you know that there is that possibility that the next time you put on the uniform might be the last.
"We cherish the fact that when we say goodbye to our families or reach our to them before our children go to bed, it might be the last time that we say that," he added. "These officers, in fairness, they were out doing their job, and that's what we do. We put on that uniform every day, we go out in those cars, we respond to calls for service. And then we come back and do it all over again. Why? Because we love what we do. We do it for the people that we serve and we are committed to our communities.
"We know... there is a risk that is associated with this job and there is a possibility we might not return home at the end of our shift."
