December 29, 2009
Murder
Ottawa Police
On December 29, 2009 Cst. Ireneusz ‘Eric’ Czapnik of the Ottawa Police was killed early in the morning while making notes in his police notebook.
Cst. Czpnik was sitting in his cruiser around 4:30 a.m., writing in his police notebook, when he was ambushed by a single man, apparently at random, and stabbed to death. The suspect was apprehended and held down by four nearby paramedics. The paramedics tried to revive the officer, but were unable to. He was pronounced dead at about 5:30 a.m, about 90 minutes before his shift was due to end.
He was stabbed in the neck by the suspect, Kevin Gregson, 43 years, a suspended RCMP officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There was no apparent connection between Czapnik and the suspect.
Czapnik leaves behind four children and his wife, Anna Korutowska. He was active in the Polish community in Ottawa East.