Expect traffic delays due to procession for slain RCMP constable

Constable Rick O'Brien was killed in Coquitlam. (RCMP|Google Maps)

A lengthy and sombre procession is expected to lead to some minor delays for motorists on Tuesday as the body of slain RCMP officer Cst. Rick O’Brien is escorted through the Fraser Valley.

O’Brien was killed September 22 in Coquitlam while he and several other officers with the Ridge Meadows RCMP were conducting a warrant in connection to a drug investigation at a residence on Pine Tree Way and Glen Drive.

The attending officers “became engaged in an altercation with a man which resulted in multiple officers being injured –including our member and the suspect being shot,” stated Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald last week.

O’Brien died on scene, but his body was taken to Abbotsford Hospital, which is where the procession will begin on Tuesday.

“Motorists travelling through the Fraser Valley along Highway 1 should expect minor traffic delays as an RCMP procession will be traveling through the area to escort Cst. Rick O’Brien from the Abbotsford Hospital to a nearby funeral home, beginning at 1:00 pm this afternoon,” a release from the RCMP reads in part.

For those who would like to pay their respects, there are several areas where the procession will be visible. They include McCallum Road, Clearbrook Road, Peardonville Road, Fraser Highway, and Mt. Lehmann Road.

The 51-year-old leaves behind his wife, Nicole Longacre O’Brien, and their six children.

On Friday, two charges were approved against 25-year-old Nicholas Bellemare in connection to the death: one first-degree murder charge and a second count of attempted murder with a firearm. His next court date is October 3.

A search of court documents does not show any previous charges or convictions for Bellemare.

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With files from Amir Ali and Simran Singh