OPP officer killed in Bourget, Ont. leaves behind wife and two children
Sgt. Eric Mueller, the OPP officer shot and killed in eastern Ontario on Thursday, was a husband and father of two young children and was seriously injured in the line of duty years ago while trying to make an arrest.
Mueller, 42, died on Thursday in what OPP commissioner Thomas Carrique called an "ambush” in Bourget, Ont. He and two other officers were shot while responding to a disturbance call at a home.
The OPP Association, the union that represents civilian and uniform OPP officers, said Mueller leaves behind a wife and two young children.
"We offer our deepest condolences to Sergeant Mueller's wife and two young children, to his colleagues and friends," the union said in a statement. "Eric will always be remembered for his service and sacrifice."
Several bouquets of flowers were left outside the OPP's Russell County detachment as of Friday morning, where all three officers worked. Flags are at half-mast.
Mueller was a 21-year veteran of the force who started his policing career in Ottawa.
"He is described by his colleagues as a coach, a mentor, someone that everybody looked up to, the glue that held his shift together, and the best leader that many people ever had the privilege of working for," Carrique said on Thursday. "Our hearts are broken."
Mueller started his OPP career in Ottawa in 2002 as a special constable in the force's offender transport unit.
In 2006, he was hired as a provincial constable. In 2018, he was promoted to sergeant "in recognition of his exemplary performance, his dedication to duty and his commitment to his colleagues," Carrique said.
On Thursday, Mueller and two other officers responded to a disturbance call at a home on Laval Street in Bourget, a small community east of Ottawa.
All three officers were rushed to hospital in Ottawa. Mueller died of his injuries, another officer is in hospital recovering and a third was treated and released.
Alain Bellefeuille, 39, was arrested and has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Flowers left outside the Russell County OPP detachment after three officers were shot in Bourget, Ont. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)
MUELLER INJURED IN THE JOB IN 2008
In 2008, just two years after he became a provincial constable, Mueller was seriously injured during an attempted arrest, according to a 2010 judge's ruling.
Mueller and two other officers stopped the driver of a tractor-trailer in the Township of Edwardsburgh-Cardinal. Mueller exited his cruiser and approached the accused's truck.
The accused, who had stepped out of the truck, jumped back into his vehicle, revved his engine and sped forward. Mueller quickly ran back to his cruiser, but the truck's trailer hit him.
"The officer felt the pressure of being crushed against the cruiser and was then projected into the air, falling some distance behind his cruiser as the truck sped off," the ruling said.
Mueller suffered a broken leg and required three surgeries and months of recovery.
The driver pleaded guilty to four charges and was found guilty on two others, including criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.