A private funeral service for Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Const. Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala will be held in his hometown, Barrie, on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
The service will not be open to the public, but will be livestreamed on the OPP’s social media channels, including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. A public virtual viewing of the funeral will also take place at the Caledonia Lions Hall in Caledonia, near where Pierzchala served.
Anyone may offer condolences on the OPP’s website. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Holy Spirit Parish in Barrie, the OPP said.
Pierzchala was based out of the Haldimand County detachment, and was responding to a call about a vehicle in the ditch west of Hagersville in the county on Dec. 27. He was fatally shot near the vehicle, police said. The officer, 28, had been with the OPP for only about a year.
Ontario Provincial Police Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala is shown in this undated handout photo. The Canadian Press/HO, OPP
Two suspects—Brandi Crystal Lyn Stewart-Sperry, 30, and Randall McKenzie, 25—have been charged with first-degree murder. The two allegedly shot Pierzchala from inside a stolen vehicle, the one in the ditch. They were apprehended near the scene.
McKenzie is a repeat violent offender who was out on bail at the time.
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police issued a statement on Dec. 30, 2022, saying, “The tragic deaths of several police officers as well as the harm inflicted on numerous other Canadians in recent months are a stark reminder that we now need to increase our focus on the issue of violent and repeat offenders as well as the bail process.”
A funeral procession that included police and members of the public took place on Dec. 30. It followed Pierzchala’s body from the coroner’s office in Toronto to Barrie. Hundreds packed onto overpasses along the highway and raised their hands as a sign of respect as the hearse and police cars drove by.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
