2 charged with first-degree murder after OPP officer fatally shot in Hagersville

Two people have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of an OPP officer in Hagersville.

Const. Grzegorz (Greg) Pierzchala, a 28-year-old Haldimand County OPP detachment officer, was in the area of Indian Line and Concession 14 Walpole when he came across a vehicle in a ditch just before 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

It’s not clear what prompted Pierzchala to stop, but during a Wednesday evening news conference OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said officers across the province have responded to hundreds of reports of cars in ditches in recent days due to recent bad weather. He said Pierzchala was at the scene for a very short period of time before he was shot.

“I can tell you that the officer was essentially ambushed and stood absolutely no chance of being able to defend himself,” Carrique said, adding Pierzchala didn’t fire his weapon.

Pierzchala was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died of his injuries.

Carrique said two suspects robbed someone of their vehicle and took off from the scene, adding they eventually ditched the vehicle and left on foot. The search for the suspects triggered an emergency alert to be issued in Hagersville and surrounding communities.

He said OPP officers with the canine, emergency response and aviation units, along with members of the Six Nations Police Service, eventually tracked the suspects down not far from the scene. It wasn’t immediately clear where specifically they were found. Investigators said a semi-automatic handgun was seized.

Randall McKenzie, a 25-year-old man from Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, and Brandi Crystal Lyn Stewart-Sperry, a 30-year-old woman from Hamilton, were both charged with first-degree murder. The accused appeared in a Cayuga court on Wednesday and were remanded into custody. They are set to appear in court again on Jan. 17.

The location of the incident was earlier reported to be in Ohsweken, but when asked further about the geographic location, he said it was determined the shooting happened in Hagersville.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting weren’t clear as of Wednesday evening. It’s also not clear how the two suspects know each other and who ultimately fired the weapon at Pierzchala.

“The motives behind [the shooting], the circumstances, the timing of which are all part of the active and ongoing investigation,” Carrique said.

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He said Pierzchala had a body-worn camera that captured “some video evidence” but added officers will be conducting a wider door-to-door canvas in the area to gather further eyewitness accounts of what happened.

The allegations against the accused haven’t been proven in court.

Carrique went on to say McKenzie had a previous history of interactions with law enforcement agencies. He said since 2018, McKenzie has been prohibited from possessing firearms for life.

In 2021, he said McKenzie was charged with several firearms-related offences and assaulting a peace officer. However, Carrique said McKenzie was later released on bail and among the conditions were requirements to stay at home and not to possess firearms.

After failing to attend court on Sept. 6, 2022, in connection with the charges laid in 2021, Carrique said an arrest warrant was issued.

Court documents confirmed McKenzie’s history with the judicial system.

A 2021 document from the Parole Board of Canada said McKenzie is from the Onondaga First Nations of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. He was serving an almost three-year sentence for robbery, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon and other charges when his release was revoked that year because he was not complying with his terms.

In the robbery, which happened in 2017, the document described how McKenzie pointed a handgun at a restaurant owner, ordering him to hand over his car keys and money.

“You pled guilty and described that you needed money for drugs,” the document said.

It noted McKenzie experienced the negative impacts of colonialism.

“Your biological parents struggled with alcohol and were neglectful,” it said.

“You believe your adopted grandfather may have attended residential school … You have suffered abuse, experienced addiction and have been disconnected from your family and cultural community. These losses and negative experiences are likely linked to your offending.”

A frustrated Carrique called Pierzchala’s death preventable, noting he is the fourth officer in Ontario to be fatally shot since September.

“This should have never happened. Something needs to change. Our police officers, your police officers, my police officers, the public deserve to be safeguarded against violent offenders who are charged with firearms-related offences,” he said Wednesday evening.

“I’m outraged by the fact that McKenzie was out on bail and was provided the opportunity to take the life of an innocent officer.”

In a written statement to The Canadian Press, McKenzie’s family expressed their condolences to Pierzchala’s family.

“We wish them healing and peace,” the statement said.

They said McKenzie had some challenges growing up, got into the wrong crowd in high school and began abusing drugs at a young age.

“Everyone is having a difficult time processing this and is extremely hurt,” the statement said.

“Intergenerational trauma is a real thing.”

McKenzie’s family said they have been bombarded with hateful messages since the shooting. The statement said they are being called “savages and trash and disgusting and that we should rot.”

“We are not horrible people,” it said.

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Carrique said in earlier remarks he learned Pierzchala, who previously served as a special constable at Queen’s Park and as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, wanted to be a police officer for most of his life.

He noted Pierzchala learned early on Tuesday that he had just passed a 10-month probation and would be allowed to patrol solo as a permanent member of the OPP, adding fellow officers in the Haldimand County detachment respected the newer officer.

“They knew they could rely upon him in the most dangerous and stressful of situations. He was taken from us untimely by the tragic murder,” Carrique said.

Insp. Phil Carter, who heads up the Haldimand County OPP detachment, said Pierzchala’s death has shaken his family and his colleagues.

“He was a son, a brother and a friend, and he’s no longer with us, and that hurts,” he said.

However, Carter said there has been an outpouring of support from the community.

“There have been hints of light in what has been a dark and profoundly sad time,” he said.

A procession for Pierzchala also occurred late Tuesday. Officers brought his body to Toronto from West Haldimand General Hospital. Carrique said funeral arrangements will be shared in the coming days.

Community reacts to shooting of OPP Const. Pierzchala

Haldimand County Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley visited the scene on Wednesday along with other community members to pay tribute to the 28-year-old officer.

“It is heartbreaking, disturbing, very upsetting for our community,” she said.

“These things just don’t happen in Haldimand County.”

Harold Sheldrick, who lives close to the scene, said he was surprised to hear about the fatal shooting in the “peaceful” town of about 3,000 people south of Hamilton.

“Sure, there is crime just like anywhere, but I mean, out here, it is the first time I have heard someone getting shot and killed,” Sheldrick said, adding he has lived in town for about a year.

“A lot of these families know each other, so I am kind of surprised something would escalate this far out here.”

Bobbi Ann Brady, the local independent MPP for Haldimand–Norfolk, also visited the scene on Wednesday and said that all of Ontario mourns the loss of the officer.

“It is tragic, and it doesn’t make sense, and my heart, my prayers, my thoughts go out to the officer’s family,” she said while wiping her tears.

“As a mom, this really hits home, he is a young man and that is someone’s son, somebody’s brother, and it is a life lost.”

“It doesn’t make sense and there is no reason for these types of things to happen, and it hits hard in a small community like this because we are not accustomed to these types of stories.”

Chief Mark B. Hill with the Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council shared his condolences on Tuesday and called what happened a “senseless act of violence.”

“I also want to thank the Ontario Provincial Police, the Six Nations police, and all other services who supported this operation for their swift apprehension of the suspects and for continuing to keep our communities safe,” he wrote.

Hill also encouraged anyone who needs support to call the Six Nations 24-7 mobile crisis line at 519-445-2204 or 1-866-445-2204 or the 24-7 Hope for Wellness Helpline at 1-855-242-3310.

With files from The Canadian Press and CityNews’ Meredith Bond

Procession for Provincial Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala is mobile from West Haldimand Hospital en route to Toronto now. #HeroesInLife @OPP_WR pic.twitter.com/Iwe33kpzw5

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) December 28, 2022