Const. Devon Northrup, left, and Const. Morgan Russell.The Canadian Press
The Police Association of Ontario says the deaths of two officers in a shooting in Innisfil, Ont., this week have shaken police services across the country.
Association president Mark Baxter notes the deaths come a month after a Toronto police officer was shot dead while on break at a Mississauga, Ont., coffee shop.
He says all three deaths highlight the risky nature of policing as a profession.
South Simcoe police have said that Const. Morgan Russell, 54, and Const. Devon Northrup, 33, died after a shooting Tuesday night at an Innisfil home after responding to a call about a disturbance.
Ontario’s police watchdog, which is investigating, has said a 22-year-old man also died in the shooting, which involved a third officer who exchanged gunfire with the young man.
Baxter, whose association advocates for police personnel across Ontario, says he has reminded South Simcoe police officers of the mental health and trauma supports available to them as they process what happened.