Remembering Sgt. Ryan Russell a year later
Posted January 12, 2012 8:11 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Toronto police Sgt. Ryan Russell, who was killed in the line of duty.
Russell, 35, was struck down near Avenue and Davenport on Jan. 12, 2011, while trying to stop a man driving a stolen snowplow. The former guns and gangs task force member later died in hospital.
He was the first Toronto officer to die in the line of duty since 1994, bringing the total number of officers to 36 since 1901, according to the Toronto Police Association.
On Jan. 18, 2011, about 12,000 officers from North American police forces attended his funeral at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, in what is believed to be one of the largest funerals in Toronto history.
Russell, who was promoted to the rank of sergeant only six months before his death, left behind his wife, Christine, and a young son, Nolan, who’s now three years old.
Christine said Toronto helped get her through it, but is dreading the court process.
Richard Kachkar, 45, was charged with first-degree murder. He’s expected in court to set a trial date on Jan. 18.
With files from 680News
