Canadian Press
COBOURG, Ontario, CanadA (CP) -- An 18-year-old man charged with the murder of a city police officer hopped into a courtroom in this eastern Ontario community Monday apparently suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.
Without the aid of crutches and wearing handcuffs, Troy Davey was assisted by court officers as he hopped on his left leg into court.
He had been treated at Northumberland Hills hospital on Saturday for a wound to his right leg before being charged in the first-degree murder of Const. Chris Garrett.
On Monday, he was remanded into custody until his next court appearance May 25.
Garrett, a 39-year-old officer with 18 years of police experience, was killed early Saturday after responding to a 911 call warning that someone had been robbed in a local parking lot.
While Garrett was questioning the individual, two other Cobourg officers began searching the area for a suspect. A short time later, shots rang out and the officers returned to find Garrett in the parking lot, fatally wounded.
An ambulance arrived quickly but Garrett was declared dead at the scene. Provincial police said in a statement Monday afternoon that a post-mortem conducted in Toronto determined that Garrett died from a “sharp edge injury to the neck.”
Police also said they have recovered a hunting knife believed to be the murder weapon.
Ontario Provincial Police said an explosive device was found while executing a search warrant Sunday at Davey’s home, resulting in a brief evacuation of the area.
An explosive disposal unit was called in to deal with the device.
Police have said a bomb and Molotov cocktails were found at the house. Police had no comment Sunday night on a Toronto Sun report that investigators found a plot to kill other officers.
Sources told the paper that officers at the crime scene found a shotgun, a knapsack with ammunition and a note revealing a potential plot for multiple murders.
Const. Darren Davis of the Prescott Police Service, who studied with Garrett to be a police officer at Loyalist College in nearby Belleville, Ont., said he was shocked to hear a fellow member of the class of 1986 had been killed. “He was a great guy,” Davis said. “He was funny and real committed to his school work. He was definitely not a slacker.”
Garrett, who lived in the small town of Odessa outside Cobourg, started his career with Peel regional police.
“He was the first in the class to get a job,” Davis said. “It was just a couple months after graduation that he got on with Peel and when he got his first uniform he was just so proud.”
Ontario Lt.-Gov. James Bartleman offered his condolences Monday to Garrett’s family, friends and colleagues.
“This loss reminds us of the risks that police officers face every day as they serve and protect our communities,” he said.
“The professionalism and bravery of officers like Const. Garrett keep our communities safe.”
Bartleman also said he will attend Garrett’s funeral in Cobourg on Thursday. Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter called Garrett’s death a blow to “the entire province of Ontario.”
The Ontario legislature observed a moment of silence in Garrett’s honour Monday, and members were asked by Kwinter to wear the Ontario Police Memorial pin until sundown on the day of Garrett’s funeral.