‘He made the ultimate sacrifice’: Grief and tributes pour in for fallen OPP sergeant

Ontario’s policing community is mourning the death of an officer killed in the line of duty.

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Brandon Malcolm, 33, died after his police motorcycle crashed in a single-vehicle collision on eastbound Highway 401 in Cobourg early Monday evening. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said Malcolm “served his community with dedication to duty, honour” and “made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Malcolm is being remembered as an officer who loved his job and the community he served. He was also a member of the Golden Helmets precision motorcycle team.

David Sabatini, president of the OPP Association, called the death “devastating for our OPP family and our policing sector across the province.”

Malcolm’s body was taken to the Office of the Chief Coroner in Toronto, where officers paid their respects.

Former Toronto police officer Sean Shapiro said losses in policing are felt widely.

“Whenever there’s a loss in the policing community all police officers feel it because it could have been them,” Shapiro told Global News.

In Cobourg, residents expressed grief, with some leaving flowers and offering condolences to Malcolm’s loved ones.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his thoughts are with the officer’s family and all members of the policing community.

Police said two additional police vehicles were involved in a secondary collision nearby while responding to the crash, resulting in three minor injuries.

OPP Sgt. Joe Brisbois said investigators are reviewing footage and interviewing witnesses as the investigation remains in its early stages.

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