WINTHROP, Ont. - An Ontario Provincial Police officer has died after being shot during what was described as a close-range gun battle in southwestern Ontario Monday morning.
Const. Vu Pham, 37, leaves behind his wife Heather and three sons Tyler, 12, Jordan, 10, and Joshua, 7.
The suspect, Fred
Preston of Burk's Falls, was hit with eight bullets immediately after
the shooting and remains in hospital in critical condition.
A witness said the gunfight started after the officer pulled over a pick-up truck at around 10:30 a.m. Monday on a country road.
Faith Weber watched in horror as at least 15 to 20 shots were fired across the rural road.
"The guy laying in the ditch and the police officer was on the other side of the road in the ditch, but he was standing up and they were both shooting back and forth at each other," Weber described.
Police immediately shut down the two-lane highway following the shooting, which is home to an area of farm fields and a few homes.
Const. Aaron McPhail spoke to reporters near the shooting scene.
"This investigation is in its early stages. As with any investigation, it is fairly complex and when we do get a little more detail, we'll be able to release that," McPhail stated.
Following Const. Pham's death, OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino stated, "I am deeply saddened by the loss of this young brave officer who was committed to protecting the citizens of Ontario.''
He added that the gunshot, which struck Pham's head, "immediately incapacitated" him.
"Obviously I speak for all Ontarians when I say that our thoughts are with this police officer and his family and friends and the broader policing family,'' Premier Dalton McGuinty said at the provincial legislature.
"I think it's an opportunity for all of us just to reflect on how much we count on these men and women every single day to go out there and put it on the line.''
The Special Investigations Unit has taken over the investigation and nine investigators have been assigned to the case.
Meantime, people remembered Const. Pham, Tuesday, as a devoted family man who was a soccer coach, hockey booster and churchgoer.
He also volunteered at the school his kids attend.
The education director of the Wingham-area school said Pham was loved by the community.
"[He] was not only a protector of the community; but, he was a friend of the community in terms of how he served both in his professional and in his family life."
Grief councilors were on hand at the school to help students cope with the tragedy.
Const. Pham was born in Vietnam a few weeks before the fall of Saigon. His father was killed in the war and his mother was jailed for trying to flee the country.
Pham was adopted by a minister in Ontario where he began a new life.
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The following is Premier McGuinty's official statement on the death of Const. Vu Pham:
"Together with all Ontarians, I was sad to hear of the death of OPP Const. Vu Pham. Every day, our police officers serve our families by keeping our communities safe and upholding the rule of law.
Today, we are reminded that our safety and security sometimes comes at a high price.
As a husband and a father I cannot imagine the pain Const. Pham's family must be feeling. As Premier, I want to convey the condolences of 13-million Ontarians who honour his service and his life."