Officers embraced each other and wiped away tears Thursday as Edmonton’s police chief relayed details of how two constables were shot and killed at an apartment complex while responding to a domestic violence call.
“Today, the Edmonton Police Service has been marked by an unthinkable and horrific tragedy as two of our members have died in the line of duty,” Chief Dale McFee told a packed and solemn news conference at police headquarters.
He spoke in an atrium packed with more than 100 officers and police staff. Members held and patted each other.
A young man considered a suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, McFee said.
He identified the officers who died as Const. Travis Jordan, 35, an 8 1/2-year veteran with the Edmonton force, and Const. Brett Ryan, 30, who had been with the service for 5 1/2 years.
McFee said the officers were called shortly before 1 a.m. to a family dispute at an apartment building in northwest Edmonton, part of a large red-brick complex of three-storey walk-ups.
They went inside the building, approached the suite and were shot, he said.
“All indications are they did not have a chance to discharge their firearms.”
The officers were rushed to hospital by colleagues who worked to keep them alive, said McFee. They were declared dead at hospital.
A woman, who police said is related to the suspect, was taken with life-threatening injuries to hospital, where she remained in serious but stable condition. Police gave no details on the relationship or how she was injured.
McFee said supports are being offered to the officers’ families and colleagues.
About a dozen police cars and a forensics truck were parked near the apartment complex. The scene was taped off and a road leading into the area was also blocked.
Linda Fjelsted, who lives in the adjacent apartment block, said she saw police running in every direction.
“We saw somebody being hauled out (and) somebody in an ambulance. I heard the yelling and the talking and the police telling people to get back (in) their apartments. The police were very, very upset,” she said.
“I felt like I was watching something on TV.”
Fjelsted said the complex is a mostly quiet place where the lawns are kept trim and the flower beds tended and is filled with families from different cultures.
“I like it here.”
Memories of the officers have begun to trickle out. In his spare time, Ryan was a minor hockey official.
“Brett Ryan was a pillar within our community and will be missed by all who knew him,” said a social media post from the Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association. “We take this time to honour his life and the contributions he has made to the Edmonton community and beyond.”
Ryan’s friend Darcy Carter said Ryan was a paramedic before he became a police officer, adding he was passionate about his work and his duty to serve the community.
“That’s something that I’ll never forget … just his face lighting up when he talked about his job,” Carter said.
Carter said Ryan was also about to become a father for the first time, as his wife is expecting.
Jordan was remembered as kind.
In 2020, Jessica Shmigelsky was driving to work after a heavy spring snowfall. Her snowbrush had broken and Jordan pulled her over because she had too much snow on her vehicle.
Instead of giving her a ticket, he brushed off her car.
“He did his job and he did more than what his job really entailed,” said Shmigelsky
She still has the snowbrush Jordan gave her.
Police officers lined the street near the medical examiner’s office as an escort carrying the bodies arrived, saluting their fallen comrades. Flowers were also placed outside the west division police station, where the slain officers worked and where flags flew at half-mast.
Mike Ellis, Alberta’s minister of public safety and a former police officer, was visibly shaken as he spoke at the news conference.
“Every day, police officers across Alberta put their uniforms on and they protect and serve their communities. The sudden and tragic death of these two Edmonton Police Service officers reminds us again of the dangers the police officers face on a daily basis.”
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said officers’ families send their loved ones to work every day and hope they’ll return home safely.
“This did not happen today for Ryan’s and Jordan’s families,” he said.
“When you see an officer working to keep you safe, please thank them for their service.”
Thursday’s killings are the first among the Edmonton Police Service since 2015.
Const. Daniel Woodall, a hate crimes investigator, was using a battering ram to enter a home when he was shot numerous times through a door. Another officer was struck by a round that penetrated his body armour and he survived.
In 1990, Const. Ezio Faraone was shot and killed responding to an armed robbery.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2023.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Sentencing hearing continues for University of Waterloo gender studies class stabber
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio making a difference off the pitch as well as on it
Inequality has broad impacts on the health of Montreal children, report finds
Liberal majority victory shifts political landscape in New Brunswick
Thomson Reuters acquires AI accounting assistant developer Materia
Ontario aiming to become energy superpower, Energy Minister Stephen Lecce says
Sonia Furstenau staying on as B.C. Greens leader in wake of indecisive election
Thousands of international students miss fall semester amid uncertainty, visa delays
