º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøofficers are in shock and a family is in mourning after a veteran detective with an elite police unit died in what appears to have been a medical episode following the execution of a search warrant in North York on Thursday.
Det. John Park, a 40-year-old father of two and 14-year veteran of the force, died shortly after participating in a hold-up squad investigation into a recent robbery. Though his death is under investigation, police say preliminary information suggests he died from a medical event unrelated to his line-of-duty work on Thursday morning.
The unexpected loss of a colleague while at work prompted waves of grief through the force, summoning senior police brass to the hospital where the officer was pronounced dead and inspiring an impromptu processional, attended by Park’s grieving loved ones and first responders from across emergency services.
“There’s no words to express the sorrow that we feel right now,” º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue said through tears Thursday afternoon, outside Humber River Hospital, stopping at one point to regain her composure.Â
“This is every family’s worst fear when a loved one works as a police officer and does not come home safely after their shift,” she said.Â
Park leaves behind a wife, Tina, and two children, who are nine and five years old.Â
Pogue described Park as a “wonderful and loving father” who was appreciated by everyone who knew him at the service, calling his death “heartbreaking news just before Christmas.”
“It’s devastating. It’s just such a sad situation in the hospital right now, but this is the time we stand together and support the family,” said Clayton Campbell, president of the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøPolice Association.
He noted the hold-up squad is “one of the most elite units” in the service, responsible for investigating carjackings, home invasions and robberies. Park had just recently been promoted. Before joining the hold-up squad, Park served as a constable at 22 Division in Etobicoke.
“We are just so proud of his career,” Campbell said.
News of a police officer’s on-duty death initially sparked concerns that Park may have come into contact with a toxic substance, such as narcotics, during the search warrant execution. But Pogue said there is currently “nothing to believe that it is related to narcotics exposure” but was rather a “medical episode.”
Pogue said little Thursday about the circumstances of Park’s death, saying only that he was found alone.
Det. John Park, a 14-year veteran of the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice service leaves behind a wife and two children, who are nine and five years old.
Just after 2 p.m. on Thursday, a procession escorted Park’s loved ones, some visibly distraught, from the Humber River Hospital, where the officer was pronounced dead, to the nearby Ontario Forensic Pathology Office.
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