OPP Officer Dead, Two Others in Hospital After Shooting East of Ottawa

One Ontario Provincial Police officer has died and two others were injured in a shooting in a village east of Ottawa. The three officers responded to a gunshot report and were shot by the accused who has since been arrested. OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique identified the fallen officer and shared his condolences.

Following a report of a gunshot from a home on Laval Street in Bourget, Ontario, approximately 50 kilometers east of Ottawa, three Russell County OPP officers arrived at the scene around 2 a.m. All three officers were shot by an individual at the home and were transported to the hospital.

According to the police, one of the officers has since died. He has been identified as Sgt. Eric Mueller and condolences poured in from senior officials and colleagues. OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said, “It is with an extremely heavy heart that I regretfully advise that OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller has been killed in the line of duty. We anxiously await for further word on his fellow officers who are still at hospital. Our thoughts are with the officers, their families and colleagues.”

Premier Doug Ford also shared his condolences through a Tweet which says, “The death of OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller, who was senselessly killed in the line of duty, is devastating news. My thoughts are with his family and friends. Please join me in praying for his fellow officers as we await word on their condition. May God bless our heroes in uniform.”

OPP shared that one person is in custody and that there is “no risk to public safety.”

Sgt. Eric Mueller’s death is the latest in a series of incidents that have led to the death of police officers. Const. Andrew Hong was gunned down in a Tim Horton’s in Mississauga in September of 2022. South Simcoe police constables Devon Northrup and Morgan Russell were fatally shot while responding to a disturbance call in Innisfil in October 2022. OPP Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala was fatally shot while responding to a broken-down vehicle near Hagersville, Ontario.

Vineet Washington