Hundreds of officers mourn slain Steve Déry.
More than 800 police officers from across the country including Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau, centre, march down Sussex Street on March 9 for the funeral of slain officer Steve Déry who many remembered as a role model and hero.
Eddie Rwema
A somber mood fell over Ottawa as more than 800 police officers from across Canada gathered at Notre Dame Cathedral March 9 to mourn the death of Const. Steve Déry.
Déry, a police officer who grew up in Orléans, attending Garneau high school, had his life and career cut short abruptly on March 2 when he was shot while on duty in Kuujjuaq, northen Quebec.
The 27-year-old officer was working with the Kativik Regional Police Service about 1,400 kilometres north of Montreal, where he was shot when he and his partner responded to a domestic violence call in the community.
A letter from Déry’s father Gilles, read by a friend, described his son as a “hero and a great police officer.”
“I’m so proud to have had you as a son. I will think of you until we meet again,” Gilles wrote.
His death touched close to home for many in Orléans, who remembered Déry from his hockey and lacrosse days as a teenager, and his early days growing up in Rockland.
Mixed with the sadness and sense of loss, Kativik’s police chief, Aileen MacKinnon, told the gathering how she was the last person to say goodbye to Steve in the hospital before he died.
“I lost one of my boys,” she said.
Déry’s brother Benoit described him as a definition of a perfect brother and best friend.
“I was always so damn proud to call him my brother,” said Benoit.
“All I can say Steve – is thank and I love you brother.”
Other speakers included Déry’s best friend Greg Désirier.
“We were inseparable and I can’t think of my best memories without thinking of Steve,” said Désirier.
“He was my go to guy, best friend and a brother I never had.”
Déry had been a member of the Kativik Regional Police Force since 2009, starting his career in the community of Kangirsuk before being transferred to the community of Kuujjuaq in 2010.
Tunu Napartuq, the mayor of Kuujjuaq said his community was mourning and trying to recover from the death of Steve.
“It is something that you do not prepare for or plan. We appreciate the show of support we have been receiving from everyone, and we still need it,” said Napartuq.
Not only did the death shock the community but the entire police community as well.
Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau said Déry's tragic death serves as a difficult reminder of the dangers officers face every day.
“He exemplifies what a police officer is today,” said Bordeleau.
“Police officers want to help the communities, they want to serve, but they also recognize that there are dangers out there.”