An Ontario police officer was shot dead Thursday while on duty at the home of a man a few miles from the Quebec border.
Sergeant Eric Mueller “was murdered simply for serving his community,” Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique said at a news conference.
At around 2 a.m., Police Officer Mueller, 42, walked with two other police officers to a house on Rue Laval in Bourget, a small community about fifty kilometers east of Gatineau.
The Canadian Press/Patrick Doyle
Ontario provincial police officers stand near the scene where Constable Eric Mueller was killed May 11, 2023 in Bourget, Ontario.
The latter had received a call about gunshots being heard at that address.
At the scene, the three police officers were greeted by more shots, which Commissioner Carrique said were the victims of an “ambush”.
They were all taken to an Ottawa hospital, where Sergeant Mueller was pronounced dead.
Twitter / Ontario Provincial Police
Eric Mueller, 42 years old.
The other two Russell County police officers were injured. One is in stable but critical condition, and the other was discharged from hospital later on Thursday.
The occupant of the house, a 39-year-old man, was arrested by other police officers who came to the aid of their colleagues.
We know very little about the history of this man who was not injured in the police operation. However, Commissioner Carrique pointed out that this was not a person with whom officials had been dealing for several years.
A long gun was found at the scene.
Political Reactions
Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeted that this was “devastating news”.
“My thoughts are with his family and friends. Please join me in praying for his fellow officers,” he wrote.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke of “terrible news from Bourget”.
death streak
Eric Mueller is the ninth police officer murdered on duty in Canada since last September. Of these, five died in Ontario.
On March 27, Sûreté du Québec Sergeant Maureen Breau died in Louiseville during an intervention with a man struggling with mental health problems.
“We haven’t had a streak like this in 30 years,” said former Montreal Police Service cop Stéphane Wall.
According to him, this murderous series “coincides with the phenomenon of armed violence and the belittling of violence.”
Mr Wall therefore believes that the criteria and conditions for release should be tightened to avoid that there are so many tragedies of the genre.
If nothing is done, “there will be more cases of this kind in the coming months,” he says.
In addition to the tragedy that killed Sergeant Eric Mueller on Thursday, eight other police officers have been killed on duty in Canada since last September.
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