Abbotsford, B.C., police officer killed in the line of duty identified
Suspect in Const. John Davidson's slaying ID'd as Oscar Arfmann, who's charged with 1st-degree murder
Const. John Davidson has been identified as the Abbotsford
police officer who died in the line of duty Monday afternoon.
(Abbotsford Police Department)
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The Abbotsford Police Department described Davidson as an "amazing colleague and friend" and "a dedicated police officer." He began his law enforcement career in the United Kingdom and was hired by the Abbotsford force in 2006.
He leaves behind his wife and three adult children.
Davidson was killed while trying to arrest a suspect who had allegedly opened fire in the parking lot of a shopping centre in the 3200 block of Mount Lehman Road just before noon PT.
Police had been responding to a call about a stolen vehicle when a man began firing at the caller and other witnesses with a shotgun. When police arrived, they returned fire, and Davidson was shot.
Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich said Davidson died doing his duty.
"We train our police officers that when somebody is putting people's lives in danger and there's an active shooter we no longer wait for cover, the first person in goes. John Davidson was the first person in and away he went," Rich said.
"He died protecting you and me."
The shooting unfolded after a 911 caller
reported a possible stolen vehicle on Mount Lehman Road. When officers
arrived, there was an exchange of gunfire. (Chris Corday/CBC)
He is currently in police custody and has been charged with first-degree murder. Under the Canadian Criminal Code, the killing of a peace officer is automatically a first-degree murder charge.
Both the Independent Investigations Office of B.C., the province's civilian-led police investigation agency, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team are looking into the shooting.
Memorial growing
In the meantime, members of the community are coming to terms with the loss of a man described as a "hero."
Officers line the highway — here, the
Brunette Avenue overpass — to pay their respects to an officer shot in
the line of duty in Abbotsford. (Bill Cook)
Officers from the Abbotsford Police Department and local RCMP detachments lined the highway to pay their respects.
At the Abbotsford police headquarters, ordinary citizens did the same, lighting candles, placing flowers and leaving handwritten cards outside the station's doors.
Nicole Provost with Const. John Davidson, her high school liason, at her Grade 12 graduation. (Supplied)
Nicole Provost, 23, was a student at W.J. Mouat Secondary School between 2008 and 2012 where Const. Davidson worked as a high school liaison.
She said he was truly one of her friends.
"He just laughed at pretty much everything students said and he made students feel good about themselves and that they were enough no matter what," Provost said. "He was a really nice guy to have in your life as a teenager."
Dorreen Paul and her daughter paid their
respects to the fallen officer in front of Abbotsford police
headquarters. (Chris Corday/CBC)
"It's the community and he was there to protect us. She wants to be a part of that," she said. "We're sorry about the loss. We'll keep their family in our prayers."
Abbotsford police tweeted their thanks to the many people who stopped by, writing "in the deepest darkness there can be light. We see you. So many of you. Thank you for being there for us."
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