York Regional Police Officer Killed

A York Regional Police officer killed early Tuesday morning was run over and dragged to his death when the driver of a stolen van he had just stopped suddenly accelerated in a bid to escape, homicide investigators believe.

Constable Garrett Styles, 32, had parked his cruiser directly behind the suspect vehicle, walked up to it and discovered two teenagers inside – a male and a female, a police source said.

The officer ran the licence plate, discovered the owner was neither of the two juveniles and reached inside for the keys.
At that point, the van suddenly lurched forward, pinning Constable Styles underneath and dragging him with it.

Constable Styles was able to radio for help and was rushed to nearby Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.

“It’s with deep regret that I advise you that a very competent and capable police officer of York Regional Police has succumbed to his injuries this morning as a result of a traffic stop,” York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe told reporters outside the hospital.

The two suspects were arrested at the scene, in East Gwillimbury, north of Toronto. The male driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Constable Styles, a seven-year veteran of the police force, is survived by his wife, Melissa, and two young children.

Chief Jolliffe, who appeared shaken, said the officer’s family had asked for “space to deal with their loss.”

Television images of the scene show a van stopped in a grassy area off the highway, with long track marks behind it. The vehicle has damage to its front end.

Homicide detectives, along with collision-reconstruction and canine teams, are investigating.
Special Investigations Unit spokesman Frank Phillips said his agency would not be taking a role in scrutinizing events.

Normally deaths and serious injuries incurred during police-civilian encounters are examined by Ontario’s civilian-staffed SIU. But because Constable Styles died of his injuries, the matter rests with the York Regional homicide squad, Mr. Phillips said.

The incident occurred at Highway 48 and Herald Road in East Gwillimbury at 4:50 a.m. Constable Styles died shortly after 6 a.m.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak extended condolences to Constable Styles’s family.

Constable Styles joined York Regional Police as a cadet-in-training in December of 2003 and became a constable in May, 2004. He worked in uniform patrol in the force’s No. 1 District, which covers Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillimbury.

He is the 10th York Region police officer to die in the line of duty.

The most recent casualty before him – also felled by a car – was Detective-Constable Robert Plunkett, who was slain in August, 2007.

Constable Plunkett’s killer has been convicted of manslaughter and is to be sentenced in Newmarket on Wednesday. The prosecution is seeking a penitentiary sentence of at least 10 years.

Texas deputy shot, killed by inmate

This is a sad story and it will be interesting to see where the gun came from.

Officials say an inmate shot and killed a sheriff's deputy while she was transferring prisoners outside a northeast Texas courthouse.

Bowie County officials say the deputy was shot about 2:30 p.m. Monday at the county courthouse in New Boston while moving inmates. They say their suspect is an inmate who then stole the sheriff's van and drove off. Authorities say the van was later found and the inmate captured in Ashdown, Ark.
There was no immediate word on the identities of the deputy and the suspect or how the suspect got a gun.
Bowie County is on the Texas-Arkansas border and includes Texarkana, Texas.

Sgt. Russell's wife speech... * Must Read*

This is a article that was written by Sgt Russell's wife after his death.....

The Day You Dread...

You never think this day would happen. Sometimes I thought about it just before falling asleep, because I was at home safe while he was out working the shifts that leave us all so vulnerable to these worrisome thoughts.
But those are just silly thoughts, a last moment to ponder before drifting off. I honestly never worried about Ryan’s job. I knew he was well trained, I knew he worked in teams, I knew he knew what he was doing out there. I admired him for being a Police Officer. I respected the job. I knew when we got married that I was marrying a cop. Marriage to a cop comes with many days, nights, weekends, holidays, and special occasions spent alone. I knew that, I got that.
 I also worked shifts, so we both understood the importance of making the most of our time together. When you think about the "day" it happens, you get this visualization of sorrowful Police Officers knocking on your door to break your heart and deliver the tragic news. Unfortunately it was not that Hollywood moment, it was much worse than anything Hollywood could produce.

 Ryan was on day shift January 12th. I heard him showering around 4 a.m., and as usual I fell right back asleep. I was up and out of the house by 7 a.m. I dropped off Nolan at daycare, and then began my usual drive into work. The roads were in terrible condition, so much snow and poor visibility. My SUV struggled to make it out of our neighbourhood onto Kingston Road. I listened to the radio for updates on road conditions and accidents. I heard the news that a Police Officer had been injured by a snowplow, but thought nothing other than it must have been a vehicular collision. Finally I made it onto the Gardiner and I called Ryan and left him a message that Nolan was dropped off and the roads were terrible and I was going to be late for work. Not 5 seconds later my phone rang, blocked caller ID, I naturally assumed it was Ryan calling me back.



 The voice on the other end was not Ryan though. It was his friend and colleague, Tom Steeves. I just started blabbing, telling Tom, Ryan was on day shift and he had court today, and try him on his cell. I got the awkward pauses and sighs and then Tom asked me where I was? I said I was driving to work, why? Tom said where are you exactly? I knew from that moment...I don’t know how or why, but I just knew. I exited at Spadina in a panic and tried to figure out how to flag down a cop for help. Tom begged me to pull over and wait, saying they would come to me. I just kept driving focused on finding St. Mike’s hospital. I hung up on Tom and somehow I was able to continue driving, while barely seeing through my tears, and made the dreaded Hollywood calls.
 First call was to my mom in Peterborough. I told her Ryan was hurt and she needed to come to Toronto right away. Second call was to Ryan’s parents in Florida. I told Ryan’s dad, Glenn, he needed to come home, get on a plane and come home now. I found out later, strangely enough, both my mom, and Ryan’s dad had been watching CP24 in two different countries, at the same time, and happened to see the same footage, and they both knew that Ryan was more than hurt.

 I finally pulled over at Queen and Yonge and waited. I could see St. Mike’s hospital one block away. I wanted to run there as fast as I could but my legs would not move. Finally I saw a cruiser coming for me. The Sergeant who drove me one block to St. Mike’s could not look into my eyes. I asked him if Ryan was ok. He kept his eyes forward while the tears poured down his face. I knew it was fatal. I was swarmed by a sea of high-ranking Police members as they whisked me through the emergency unit and into a small room.

The lights in the room were dim, and I was forced to sit down. Finally the Hollywood moment... After Chief Blair informed me Ryan had been killed, all I could ask was what Ryan was doing out there? Ryan’s a Sergeant, why was he out there? How did this happen? Ryan spent many dangerous years at Guns and Gangs, if it was going to happen during his career it would have been then not now, not as a Sergeant. I remember crying but then the tears just stopped. I think my emotions went from shock, to grief, to disbelief, to anger, to resentment, to frustration and finally to self-pity. It was at the self-pity point (not even 20 minutes after being informed of my loss) that I was asked to consent to donate Ryan’s eyes. Ryan’s eyes. The most beautiful baby-blue eyes. His perfect 20/20 vision eyes. They told me it was the only part of him that could be salvaged. The most beautiful part was the only part. I immediately consented and I immediately began to feel better. Ryan’s body was taken to the Coroners, and I was taken home. I was never allowed to hold his hand or kiss his face. Evidence needed to be preserved.

Family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, all began to fill up my house, all there to comfort me. Somehow I was fine, somehow I was comforting them? From that point on I found strength. I was surrounded constantly by people who cared. I was assisted constantly by the Police Association. I was supported constantly by the Police Service and the public. All of Ryan’s courage and bravery jumped into my soul and helped me get through the next week. The visitation was overwhelming but I insisted on greeting every single person who wished to offer their sympathy, or gratitude, or last respects. I did it all for Ryan.
On the morning of Ryan’s funeral service, I was able to hold his hand one last time and kiss him goodbye. I told him I would make him proud and raise our son to be just like him. As we followed the hearse, I took every moment in. Citizens outside the funeral home lining the streets, opposing traffic stopping, on ramps blocked off, motorists saluting, the vacated highways, the peaceful journey into Toronto along the Highway of Heroes. We staged in front of 52 Division. The bagpipes began, and slowly the crowds marched. I saw the faces, the tears, the hands over the hearts, the saluting I heard the K9’s crying, I heard the sounds of silence in the busiest city in Canada. It was all for Ryan. It was all from you. Thank you for allowing me to tell you about the day you think will never happen. Thank you for being brave and for being supportive. Thank you for serving and protecting. Thank you You are all heroes in life, and remember, there will be an answer, let it be. With the utmost respect,

 Christine Russell




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CN Tower blue line

For the funeral of Sgt Russell the CN tower honored him by lighting the tower up with a blue line... Very cool looking

Toronto Police Sgt. Ryan Russell Tribute

Sgt. Ryan Russell Funeral Live

Today is the Funeral for Sgt Ryan Russell, I have put the Live Link for the coverage. It is playing now.


Live Video Feed is now closed... You can see the Tribute video here

Toronto policeman killed by stolen snowplow

 It's always tough to see a fellow officer hurt or even worse killed in the line of duty, Please pray for the family Sgt Ryan Russell. 

The News Report follows:

An 11-year veteran of the Toronto police force is dead after being struck Wednesday by a stolen snowplow.
Toronto police chief Bill Blair said Sgt. Ryan Russell, 35 was one of two officers engaged in the pursuit of the stolen snowplow early Wednesday in the city's downtown.

The second officer suffered unspecified injuries.

Police were called just before 6 a.m. about a truck with a snowplow in the front that was stolen from a parking lot in the Parliament and Dundas Streets area.

Officers tracked down the stolen vehicle, reportedly using the GPS device installed inside, to the Davenport and Avenue Roads area — where one of the officers was struck by the snowplow.

Video images showed paramedics performing CPR on the officer as he was loaded into an ambulance. Toronto EMS Deputy Commander Dave Viljakainen said the officer was transported to St. Michael's Hospital downtown with no vital signs.

Meanwhile, police continued its pursuit of the snowplow through heavy snow for six city blocks until officers were forced to fire a number of shots, said Toronto police Staff Sgt. Chuck Konkel. The male suspect of the vehicle was struck by at least one of the bullets, according to Toronto police Staff Sgt. Jeff McGuire.

He was also taken to hospital for his injuries and remains in police custody.

Constable Pham ``a modern day hero'' Photos and Video

I'm Happy to hear that over 8000 people showed up today to Honour Cst Pham, for those that couldn't make it they were looking for photos, here are a few I found...

OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said, "Constable Pham, you may stand down. You have made us proud."

Funeral for OPP Constable Vu Pham

Today we headed down to our Local market, it's alittle crowded for me but it's worth the trip for the sweets...lol

After we made it out of the Market we headed up the street to alittle shop that is known for it's good coffee and food, when waiting for the food I picked up a paper and saw a photo I hate seeing it was a photo of a Police officers wife and Kids at their beloved fathers and Husbands funeral.

There was one quote from the story that stuck with me and almost shed a tear: Heather Pham had written in a funeral guide that "Monday morning began like any other day for us, full of life and promise."

(From a Newspaper)
Three young boys have said an emotional goodbye to their father, Ontario Provincial Police Constable Vu Pham.

Thousands of police officers attended the funeral in Wingham, Ontario Friday.

The youngest of the boys seven-year-old Joshua, says he enjoyed all the times he spent with his dad.

The other two boys 12-year-old Tyler and 10-year-old Jordan Pham talked about fishing and hunting with their father and the support he always gave them.

Pham’s wife says she will try to forgive the accused, because that’s what her husband would have wanted.

Pham’s partner Dell Merecy also praised the officer during the service in saying Pham saved his life.

Pham pulled over a pickup truck on a rural road northwest of London, Ontario Monday where he was shot and killed.

He was the force's 104th officer to die in the line of duty since its inception 100 years ago.

Fred Preston who was charged in Pham’s death, died of gun shot wounds on Thursday.