Family of fallen Calgary police officer troubled by OPP constable's death

The shooting death of an Ontario Provincial Police constable just outside of Hagersville is hitting close to home for the family of a fallen Calgary police officer.

Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala was responding to a call about a vehicle in a ditch around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday when he was shot and killed.

“It was devastating to hear that one of our officers had been shot so violently. That is not something that we are used to in Haldimand County at all,” said Shelley Ann Bentley, mayor of Haldimand County.

A man and woman fled the scene, prompting an emergency alert advising area residents to shelter in place.

Within hours, the suspects, 25-year-old Randall Mckenzie and 30-year-old Brandi Stewart-Sperry, were arrested.

They appeared in court in Cayuga, Ont., on Wednesday and each face a charge of first-degree murder.

According to OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique, this was Pierzchala’s first shift working on his own.

“He was with us for just over a year and today just received his sign-off on what we would call his 10-month probation, and would be patrolling independently as a full member of the OPP,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

Pierzchala’s death is upsetting for Jason Harnett on many fronts.

Harnett’s brother, Andrew, was a Calgary police officer who died after being dragged by a fleeing SUV and falling into the path of an oncoming car on Dec. 31, 2020.

He was 37.

“Andrew is always on our minds … Every time you go through a police shooting, you relive this,” Jason said.

Even worse, both Jason and Andrew grew up in Hagersville and Jason still lives there.

“For us, to have this all happening in our neighbourhood, literally this time, it’s just unreal. It’s really troubling,” Jason said, adding that he witnessed police cars and helicopters circling the area while searching for the suspects.

With the two-year anniversary of Harnett’s death quickly approaching, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) said this latest tragedy comes at an especially difficult time for its members.

“You hear this story, you see those similarities of how young these officers were, the stories of how committed they were to their communities,” said CPS Acting Staff Sgt. Scott Boyd.

“These incidents are far, far too frequent in our society these days and you can’t help but be heartbroken knowing that this officer isn’t going home to his friends and family.”

Boyd said CPS officers will be wearing blue memorial ribbons to honour Pierzchala’s sacrifice.

Jason is encouraging others to do the same and to display blue lights like what was done for his brother.

“Those little pieces of support really go a long way for the family. It certainly helped us get through a difficult time,” he said.

“This is just the beginning of what they’re going to be facing. There’s a long road ahead.”