To those who knew him, the loss of Eric Czapnik still feels fresh.
Five years to the day that the Ottawa constable was slain in front of The Ottawa Hospital, members of his family — and of his extended family, the police force — were marking his loss Monday with a private ceremony.
“We still miss Eric every single day and he will be in our hearts forever,” his widow, Anna Korutowska, said in a brief statement to the Citizen.
Korutowska was to join members of the police force at the hospital where Czapnik was killed for a special event that was being described as a “toast” and “celebration of life.”
Czapnik, 51, was fatally stabbed by former RCMP officer Kevin Gregson in the hospital parking lot on Dec. 29, 2009. Gregson was later convicted of first-degree murder.
“People have had different relationships with Eric, some of them felt that he was a brother, others as a son,” said Ottawa police acting chief Jill Skinner. “So there’s many feelings of grief that we face, just like any other person. Certainly one of our goals is to provide support for Eric’s family.”
On Monday, the force posted a photo of Czapnik on the Ottawa Police Twitter account with a post “On this day we #remember Eric Czapnik, an officer who died in the line of duty.”
Police say vigilance for the safety of their members is always top of mind, particularly since Czapnik’s death and the fact his memorial comes on the heels of slaying of two New York City police officers, who were shot while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn on Dec. 20.
Skinner says Ontario police officers are required to attend use-of-force training every year. And part of that training, she said, involves discussion about their own safety.
“Anytime a police officer is hurt anywhere, our use-of-force instructors build those scenarios right into our training,” said Skinner. “So we have practical exercises where we actually are able to think about ‘OK, what would I do in that situation?’ Then you are obviously able to better respond when that situation is presented to you.”
On this anniversary Skinner said Czapnik’s widow has been a source of strength for members and vice versa.
“It think it’s a reciprocal thing, where we are both providing support to each other and trying to move on,” she said.
