OPP officer’s death sends ripple of sorrow and outrage through local police services

Flags are lowered at police headquarters across the region on Thursday following news of the death of one of their own.

"It is with an extremely heavy heart that I regretfully advise that OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller has been killed in the line of duty," stated OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique on Twitter.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

Police say Mueller, 42, and two other OPP officers were shot by someone at a home east of Ottawa while responding to a disturbance call.

One officer remains in the hospital in stable but critical condition, while the other has been released and is recovering at home, Carrique said.

During a press conference Thursday afternoon, the commissioner said the officers were ambushed.

"A 39-year-old male was arrested and was taken into custody without further incident by heroic officers who were responding in aid to their injured colleagues," said Carrique.

Since September, 10 officers in Canada have died in the line of duty.

"Nine of which were murdered," Carrique said.

"IT'S GOT TO STOP"

The shooting sent a ripple of grief and highlighted the interconnectedness of law enforcement across the country and here at home.

In October, South Simcoe police lost two officers in a similar situation.

Constables Morgan Russell and Devon Northrup were fatally shot while responding to a disturbance call at a home in Innisfil.

• RELATED | New details released in Innisfil, Ont. ambush shooting that claimed lives of 2 police officers

"It's tragic, and it's terrible, and it's completely 100 per cent avoidable," Mueller's death sparked outrage for South Simcoe Police Chief John Van Dyke.

"To be honest, we're angry today. My officers are angry. This is happening far too often, far too frequently. Frankly, it's got to stop," he said.

"It wasn't a good morning this morning when I woke up to hear that. I knew my officers would be hurting, and the members of this police service would be hurting, and when they hurt, I hurt," Van Dyke added.

The tragedy was felt by officers in Barrie as well.

"When any serving member of the police service loses their life in service to the community, it affects us all," said Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston.

"Sgt. Eric Mueller was a member of the Ontario Provincial Police, but a member of a community that he served, and every single member of the Barrie Police service feels that loss today," Johnston added.

The chief noted the importance of supporting the mental health of those who serve and protect in times like these.

"We expect them to serve the community, then they should have an expectation of the administration to serve them in terms of their wellness and their mental well-being," he said.

"This morning, the women and men of the Barrie Police Service came to work, and there was no hesitation. They went out into their cars, and they went out to serve the community as they always do and will always do. But there is that time you think about the costs sometimes of service," Johnston said.

The South Simcoe police chief emphasized the need to address this concerning trend of tragic incidents.

"There are very angry, hurting people out there, and when you have angry, hurting people that have access to firearms, sometimes that leads to tragedy, and unfortunately, it's killed a lot of police officers in the province of Ontario in the last few months," Van Dyke concluded.