Const. Rick O'Brien among fallen officers honoured at B.C. Law Enforcement Memorial

Hundreds of police and other emergency response officers from across the province marched solemnlythrough the streets of Victoria on Sunday.

It was the most recent edition of the annual B.C. Law Enforcement Memorial event, held every Septemberto honour fallen officers on the National Police and Peace Officers' Memorial Day.

But this year's march took on an even more sombre tone, coming two days after a Ridge Meadows RCMP officer was shot and killed.

Const. Rick O'Brien, 51, was killed while executing a search warrant on Fridayin Coquitlam, B.C., acity of 150,000 about 25 kilometreseast of Vancouver.Two other officers were injured in the same incident.

WATCH | B.C. police pay tribute to slain colleagues:

Police from across B.C. honour fallen officers in Victoria

1 year ago

Duration 3:04

Hundreds of police officers and other first responders from around B.C. marched in Victoria on Sept. 24 for the annual B.C. Law Enforcement Memorial. The event came two days after Ridge Meadows RCMP Const. Rick O'Brien was shot dead while on duty in Coquitlam, B.C.

O'Brien is the ninth police officer killed while on duty across Canada inthe past year, which includes two in B.C.

On Saturday,B.C.'s prosecution service approved charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder with a firearmagainstNicholas Bellemare, 25, in relation to the incident.

Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s public safety minister, spoke at Sunday's memorial events near the provincialLegislature, where a monument to officers killed in the line of duty was established in 2004.

"To the family and friends of Const. Rick O'Brien and the Coquitlam and Ridge Meadow detachments, we are deeply saddened by your immeasurable loss," Farnworth told officers,who were dressed inuniforms of multiple forces acrossthe province.

"The past year has been tremendously difficult for policing across Canada ... We recognize the incredible loss and heartbreak felt by families, friends, and fellow officers."

During the ceremony at the monument in Victoria, a member of the RCMPplayed trumpet in honour of fallen officers. Others firedrifles into the air in mourning, whilesome placed wreaths remembering deceasedcomrades.

Fire trucks, meanwhile, extended their cranes, draped with large Canadian and B.C. flags, over the street, as officers from law enforcement forces marched underneath, including motorbike units and bagpipe players.

'Heavy hearts'

After Friday's tragic events,Const. Jenna Carver, with the Victoria Police Department, said many are in mourning in the law enforcement community and seeing members of the public showing support is important.

"There's a lot of heavy hearts and people that are really hurting ... it's been an emotional few days," Carver told CBC News. "There's not many words that describe the emotions that go into something like this.

"The biggest thing is that a hero remembered is never forgotten. That's what this entire weekend means."

So far in 2023, five police officers have been killed across the country while on duty, excluding motor vehicle incidents:

• Sept. 22 Ridge Meadows RCMP Const. Rick O'Brien, 51(Coquitlam, B.C.)
• May 11 Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Eric Mueller, 42 (Bourget, Ont.)
• March 27 Sret du Qubec Sgt. Maureen Breau, 42(Louiseville, Que.)
• March 16 Edmonton Police Service Const. Travis Jordan, 35
• March 16 Edmonton Police ServiceConst. Brett Ryan, 30

In 2022, five on-duty officers were also killedacross Canada:

• Dec. 27, 2022 Ontario Provincial Police Const.Grzegorz Pierzchala, 28(Hagersville, Ont.)
• Oct. 18,2022 Burnaby RCMP Const. Shaelyn Yang, 31
• Oct. 11, 2022 South Simcoe Police Service Const. Devon Northrup, 33 (Innisfil, Ont.)
• Oct. 11,2022 South Simcoe Police ServiceConst. Morgan Russell, 54 (Innisfil, Ont.)
• Sept. 12,2022 Toronto Police Service Const. Andrew Hong, 48 (Mississauga, Ont.)