OPP set to announce charges after officer’s shooting death near Brantford

Charges are expected to be announced today following the shooting death of a provincial police officer near Brantford, Ont., on Tuesday.

The Ontario Provincial Police said Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala of the Haldimand County Detachment was shot shortly after 2:30 p.m. ET near Brantford while responding to a vehicle in a ditch just west of Hagersville, about 45 kilometers southwest of Hamilton.

OPP commissioner Thomas Carrique said Pierzchala had been told earlier in the day that he had passed his 10-month probationary period and, as such, had been granted the opportunity to patrol independently.

Carrique said Pierzchala was patrolling independently at the time he was « tragically killed ».

WATCH | The Ontario community « deeply mourns » the killing of an Ontario Provincial Police officer:

Carrique said the 28-year-old was previously a special constable at Queen’s Park and had worked for the provincial police for just over a year. Prior to that, Carrique said the « exemplary » police officer served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

« He’s a man who, at five years old, decided he wanted to be a police officer, » he said. « He had a brief opportunity to live his dream…unfortunately, he made the ultimate sacrifice. »

The force said a 25-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman had been arrested and no other suspects were at large.

Provincial police had issued an emergency alert just before 6 p.m., advising all residents in the area to stay put. The alert was canceled after the suspects were arrested.