SOLE
Our Fallen Heroes
Police officers whose partners are now active members of SOLE are listed below. To view a complete list of fallen heroes, please visit the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation.
SOLE honours all police members who have been killed in the line of duty across Canada. To learn more about these members, please visit the Canadian Police and Peace Officers Memorial.
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Detective Michael Irwin, 38 years old
Toronto Police Service
February 27, 1972
Detective Irwin and his partner, Detective Douglas Sinclair, were dispatched to a call where a tenant with a long criminal history was facing eviction that day. As the officers entered the premises, the armed tenant burst through the door and fired several shots, hitting Detective Irwin in the head. Detective Sinclair was shot twice in the chest. Both Detective Irwin and Detective Sinclair died during surgery.
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Constable Joseph MacDonald, 29 years old
Sudbury Police Service
October 7, 1993
While on general patrol, Constable MacDonald conducted a routine traffic stop. The two male occupants exited the vehicle and a violent physical altercation developed resulting in the exchange of gun fire. One of the suspects was struck by gunfire from Constable MacDonald but survived. Constable MacDonald was fatally wounded by gunshots to the back of his head while he lay helpless with his service revolver empty.
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Constable Thomas Coffin, 32 years old
Ontario Provincial Police – Midland Detachment
May 31, 1997
Constable Coffin was relaxing at the Commodore Hotel in Penetanguishene with other officers after completing his shift. While seated at the bar a person came up behind him and shot him in the head with a handgun. Constable Coffin died at the scene.
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Constable Charles Mercier, 34 years old
Ontario Provincial Police – Niagara Falls Detachment
September 30, 1999
Constable Mercier was working a paid duty at the base of the Garden City Skyway bridge. He was parked in his fully marked OPP cruiser half on the shoulder and half on the grass with all emergency lights activated. The right hand lane of the bridge was closed for repairs and the cruiser was needed to slow down the speed of traffic during the rush hour periods. The driver of a large cube truck was Niagara bound in the left hand lane when the driver fell asleep and crossed the middle active lane onto the shoulder striking the officer.
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Constable Alan Kuzmich, 41 years old
South Simcoe Police Service
August 21, 2002
Senior Constable Kuzmich was outside of his cruiser on County Road 4 and Concession 10 in Bradford investigating the theft of a motorcycle at 10:40 p.m. when he was hit and killed instantly by a Dodge Durango. Constable Kuzmich's death was the first fatality of an officer on duty in the history of the South Simcoe force.
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Constable Michael Siydock, 49 years old
Ontario Provincial Police – Port Credit Detachment
November 26, 2004
Constable Siydock was the first officer to respond to a serious motor vehicle collision on Highway 401 near Milton. A vehicle had rolled down a steep embankment and the occupants of the vehicle were trapped. Constable Siydock made every effort to aid the victims and in doing so suffered a major heart attack and died while on duty.
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Constable John Atkinson, 37 years old
Windsor Police Service
May 5, 2006
Constable Atkinson was working in plain clothes when he came across two suspicious men. He approached the individuals and identified himself as a police officer when a firearm was produced, and he was fatally shot.
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Constable Donald Doucet, 41 years old
Sault Ste. Marie Police Service
May 14, 2006
Constable Doucet was in a police cruiser, with his partner driving the vehicle, when it collided with a van traveling in the opposite direction. All three persons were taken to the Sault area hospital where Constable Doucet succumbed to his injuries.
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Constable David Mounsey, 50 years old
Ontario Provincial Police, Huron Detachment
November 13, 2006
Constable Mounsey, died a month after his cruiser struck a hydro pole in Huron County. The incident occurred as Mounsey was responding to a truck rollover on Harrison Road, west of Wroxter. As he traveled along Brussels Line, his cruiser went off the paved part of the road, striking a hydro pole. The weather was near whiteout conditions at times with snow blowing in off Lake Huron.
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Constable Robert Plunkett, 43 years old
York Regional Police Service
August 2, 2007
Constable Plunkett was killed while attempting to make an arrest during a criminal investigation involving a man allegedly stealing a car for the possession of airbags. As Cst. Plunkett approached the vehicle, the man began accelerating in reverse, striking the police officer and pinning him between the open car door and a tree.
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Constable Ireneusz (Eric) Czapnik, 51 years old
Ottawa Police Service
December 29, 2009
Constable Czapnik was ambushed and stabbed to death while sitting in a cruiser outside of a hospital emergency ward where he had attended on an unrelated matter.
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Constable Alan Hack, 31 years old
Ontario Provincial Police – Elgin County Detachment
July 6, 2009
Constable Hack died after the cruiser he was in collided with an asphalt truck outside of Rodney near London.
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Constable Vu Pham, 37 years old
Ontario Provincial Police – Huron County Detachment
March 8, 2010
Constable Pham was responding to a domestic call when he pulled over a suspect in a vehicle on a country road in Huron County, north of London. He was shot and killed by the suspect.
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Sergeant Ryan Russell, 35 years old
Toronto Police Service
January 12, 2011
Sergeant Russell died while attempting to stop the driver of a stolen heavy-duty pick up truck equipped with a snow plow. The driver had commandeered the vehicle earlier that morning, and for nearly two hours careened his way through downtown Toronto streets hitting buildings and striking several cars.
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Constable Garrett Styles, 32 years old
York Regional Police Service
June 28, 2011
Constable Styles pulled over a 2005 Dodge Caravan with four occupants at a traffic stop on Highway 48 just south of Herald Road in the Town of East Gwillimbury. While at the side of the car investigating the driver, the vehicle accelerated and dragged Constable Styles approximately 300 metres before the vehicle lost control and rolled over, pinning him beneath it. He was rushed to Southlake Regional Health Centre by York Region EMS where he succumbed to his injuries.
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Constable Joseph Prevett, 50 years old
Thunder Bay Police Service
May 7, 2014
Constable Prevett suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in a joint training exercise at the Ontario Provincial Police K-9 training centre in Gravenhurst, Ontario. He and his partner, Timber, were navigating a course when he suddenly collapsed. He was transported to a local hospital where he passed away.
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Constable Marc Hovingh, 52 years old
Ontario Provincial Police – Manitoulin Detachment
November 19, 2020
Constable Hovingh responded to a call in the woods near Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island following a complaint of a suspect squatting on another person's property. The suspect was asked to exit his locked trailer; however, he refused. The officers gained entry into the trailer, and Constable Hovingh went inside to arrest him. The suspect fired three rounds at him from a shotgun, killing the officer.
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Constable Jeffrey Northrup, 55 years old
Toronto Police Service
July 2, 2021
Constable Northrup and his partner were conducting an investigation in response to a priority call in the underground parking lot at Queen and Bay Streets, in Toronto. During the course of this dynamic event, Constable Northrup was struck by a vehicle and died.
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Constable Andrew Hong, 48 years old
Toronto Police Service
September 12, 2022
Constable Hong was on a break from training when he was shot and killed in an ambush attack. His murder was the first in a series of shootings that followed, which left two community members dead.
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Constable Devon Northrup, 33 years old
South Simcoe Police Service
October 11, 2022
Constable Northrup and fellow officer Constable Morgan Russell were shot in an ambush attack while responding to a disturbance call at a home in Innisfil. Both officers were transported to hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.
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Constable Morgan Russell, 54 years old
South Simcoe Police Service
October 12, 2022
Constable Russell and fellow officer Constable Devon Northrup were shot in an ambush attack while responding to a disturbance call at a home in Innisfil. Both officers were transported to hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.
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Sergeant Eric Mueller, 42 years old
Ontario Provincial Police – Russell County Detachment
May 11, 2023
Sergeant Mueller was shot and killed by an armed man in Bourget, Ontario.
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Detective Constable Steven Tourangeau, 36 years old
Ontario Provincial Police
May 29, 2023
Detective Constable Tourangeau was driving an unmarked police vehicle when he was involved in a motor vehicle collision and collided with a school bus. Tragically, Detective Constable Tourangeau died of his injuries. Sadly, a member of the public also perished in this collision.
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Constable Craig Town, 65 years old
Thunder Bay Police Service
August 16, 2023
In 1991, Constable Town was shot while on duty at the Balmoral Police Station. He suffered life-altering injuries and, as a quadriplegic, continued to serve as a member of the police service until his retirement.