Procession held for OPP officer killed in northern Ontario
Const. Tarun Barli, 2.5 years on the force, was struck during an operation to apprehend a suspect who had escaped from a hospital.
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A procession was held Friday in Toronto for Ontario Provincial Police Const. Tarun Barli, killed in the line of duty in northern Ontario earlier this week.
First responders and members of the public gathered on highway overpasses as Barli was escorted from the Forensic Sciences and Coroner's Complex in North York to a funeral home in Thornhill. The procession left just after 10 a.m., travelling westbound on Highway 401 from Keele to northbound Highway 400, then proceeding eastbound on Highway 407 and exiting at Yonge Street.
Barli, who had two and a half years of service with the OPP, was struck and killed as officers sought to capture an 18-year-old suspect safely after he had escaped from a hospital where he was being assessed under the Mental Health Act on Tuesday afternoon. Justin Veronneau, 18, of Hearst, has been charged with first-degree murder, dangerous driving, and flight from police.
Barli was assigned to the Dufferin detachment but was deployed with the James Bay Detachment at the time of his death. He was raised in Brampton and had ties to the Greater Toronto Area.
Barli leaves behind his parents, brother, sister, and wife, who was preparing to celebrate their second wedding anniversary later this month. Members of the public wishing to express condolences can visit the OPP's website or sign a book of condolences available in the lobbies of OPP detachments in Orangeville and Shelburne.