Thousands Attend Funeral For Ottawa Police Officer

About 4,000 police officers from across the GTA and the country have made the journey to the nation’s capital to pay their respects to one of their own, killed in the line of duty.

Ottawa Police Const. Ireneusz “Eric” Czapnik was stabbed to death on Dec. 29th when he was ambushed while sitting in his cruiser outside the Ottawa Hospital.

Three busloads of Toronto Police officers were among the thousands of people who attended the funeral on Thursday. They were joined by other emergency responders, including firefighters and paramedics, from across Canada as well as the United States.

School children and other civilians lined the streets to pay their last respects.

Dignitaries at the service included Premier McGuinty, Ontario Lt.-Gov. David Onley, federal cabinet ministers and MPs, senators, provincial cabinet ministers and members of the legislature as well as senior police officers from Ottawa, the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police. 

“The man who wore badge 1907, my father Eric Czapnik, did the work of the unselfish,” his son Luckask Galaska said at the funeral.

“He devoted himself to others. That’s what made him a hero. This is the kind of man I want to be. Dad, your dream will live on forever and you will not be forgotten.”

The procession began at noon at Carleton University and ended at the Ottawa Civic Centre. Drums and pipers played as the flag-draped coffin was carried by eight officers into the centre.

Czapnik, 51, leaves behind his wife, daughter and three sons. He moved to Canada from Poland in 1990 and, following in the footsteps of his father – a retired police officer in Warsaw, joined the Ottawa force in 2007.

A suspended RCMP officer is accused of first-degree murder, robbery and using an imitation firearm. Czapnik was sitting in his cruiser outside the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital writing up notes around 4:30am when authorities allege Kevin Gregson, 43, took him by surprise and stabbed him to death.

Four paramedics jumped in during the stabbing and managed to apprehend the suspect. Unfortunately, it was too late to save Czapnik and he died about an hour later in hospital.

Gregson has found himself on the wrong side of the law before. In 2007 he pleaded guilty to uttering a death threat after threatening a church official with a knife in Regina.

He’s still formally a member of the RCMP, despite the fact he was ordered to quit his post with F Division in Saskatchewan in 2006 or be dismissed. The dismal was appealed.  

A trust fund for Czapnik’s children has been set up at all Scotiabank branches across Canada. Donations can be made to account #400060117811.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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