Condolences have been pouring in following the death of another police officer killed while on duty, this time in Louiseville, Quebec, about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Sergeant Maureen Breau, a 20-year provincial police veteran, was
stabbed with a knife while she and another officer were trying to arrest a 35-year-old man for uttering threats at an apartment in the Mauricie region on the evening of March 27.
Another two officers arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and one of them shot and killed the suspect.
In addition to Breau’s death, another officer was injured during the incident but was expected to recover.
Jacques Painchaud, president of an association representing provincial police officers,
told reporters that Breau was stabbed in the neck and that she had been working an overtime shift that evening.
Breau was in her early 40s and the mother of two children. She served with her husband, also a provincial police officer, according to provincial police chief inspector Patrice Cardinal. “She had a lot of experience for every kind of event or police intervention,” he said.
“Today we are saddened to hear that a police officer from Sûreté du Québec was killed in the line of duty. Our hearts go out to family, friends and colleagues of Sgt. Maureen Breau, as well as the Sûreté du Québec. We stand with you during this difficult time,” the division said on Twitter.
Sûreté du Québec is a national police force and the only Quebec police organization to have jurisdiction over all of Quebec.
Police Montréal took to social media on March 28, commenting on the death of Breau under “tragic circumstances.” “Our thoughts are with you during these difficult times,”
said the force.
‘Our Hearts Are Heavy’
Quebec Premier
François Legault called the news “appalling” and said his thoughts are with the sergeant’s colleagues, loved ones, and family.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the news that a Québec police officer was killed in the line of duty was “heartbreaking.”
“I’m sending my condolences to Sergeant Maureen Breau’s family, friends, and colleagues – and I’m wishing a fast and full recovery to the officer who was injured. We’re keeping you all in our thoughts,” he said on
social media on March 28.
Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel also posted his sympathies. “Today reminds us that the police do dangerous and important work to ensure the safety of the Quebecois. I will never be able to thank them enough for their sacrifices,” he
wrote in French.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre
said, “Our hearts go out to the family and to all police officers who collectively mourn this incredible and, unfortunately, more common loss.”
“We must never forget the sacrifices our law enforcement officers make to keep us safe,” he
said on social media.
Johanne Beausoleil, director general of the Sûreté du Québec, also expressed condolences. “It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of Sergeant Breau. Such an ordeal reminds us of the danger of being a police officer in the face of extreme situations,” Beausoleil said in a March 28
news release.
The Brandon Police Service, in Manitoba,
said on Twitter, “Our hearts are heavy yet again as we learn of the passing of Sgt. Maureen Breau, a Sûreté du Québec police officer who was killed in the line of duty last night. We send our deepest condolences to her family and colleagues.”
Louiseville Mayor Yvon Deshaies
told CityNews that the suspect was previously institutionalized for violent behaviour and mental health issues.
Some media reports
suggest that the suspect had a long history of diagnosed mental illnesses and had previously been held not criminally responsible for violent crimes.
Quebec’s police watchdog, the
Office of Independent Investigators (BEI), has assigned five investigators to the case and will be assisted by Montreal police officers.
Third Officer Killed on Duty This Month
The RCMP Depot Division just days ago offered
condolences on the
deaths of Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan, two young Edmonton police constables fatally shot by a 16-year-old male teenager while responding to a domestic disturbance call on March 16.
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said he had attended seven police officers’ funerals since September, including the March 27
funerals for Ryan and Jordan.
“It has been truly unprecedented in our country’s history,” he said. “We have to continue to find ways to support law enforcement in the way that they’re doing their work to keep our community safe, particularly the families who are left to grieve without their loved ones,” he
said.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
