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FRIDAY • December 10 • 2021
Sloly praises police for work at homicide scene, says many officers traumatized By Charlie Senack Ottawa’s Police Chief called the scene at Barrhaven’s homicide two weeks ago an “active killer event” and a “house of horrors”, as he recounted what officers endured on that fatal night. Speaking at the Ottawa Police Services Board meeting recently, Police Chief Peter Sloly went over what happened on Nov. 15, when they responded to a call on Sherway Drive, which led to the city’s 15th homicide of the year. “I’ve been to a lot of homicide scenes. I’m glad I didn’t go to that one, and I’m grateful for the members who did,” said an emotional Sloly, who paused multiple times during his verbal report. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to them (the officers) over the
course of the long haul; I’m just incredibly grateful for their resilience in that moment.” When police arrived on scene near the Walter Baker Centre at around 9:30 p.m. that snowy evening, they found 64-year-old Linda Frederick deceased, and her husband, Michael Sabourin, fighting for his life. Sloly credited one of his officers — who he described as “very young… tall, handsome, fit, and very dedicated” — for keeping Sabourin alive. He performed “life saving first aid” alongside another officer after being the first to arrive on scene. “He was able to get the information from the male victim who was still alive,” he said. “At that point, we weren’t sure if he was going to make it; We’re still not sure.” When other emergency
Ottawa Police Service officers responded to a homicide in Barrhaven last month. They are credited with helping save the life of Michael Sabourin, who was stabbed, and arresting the alleged killer of Linda Frederick without further violence. Charlie Senack
personnel arrived, the officer then entered the home where he found Fredrick deceased. The accused, 39-year-old Conor Don-
nelly, who the Independent learned is Frederick’s son, barricaded himself in the bathroom. “The negotiations with
the suspect, inside a house which can be best described as a house of horrors, took hours,” chief Sloly stated. “It took hours, immediate neighbours were evacuated, and for several hours we continued negotiations with this individual to get them to surrender safely without any other harm to themself or anybody else, including the members of the organization.” Donnelly was arrested at about 1:45 a.m. the next morning. According to Sloly, Donnelly was armed. A CBC News report has stated the accused allegedly suffers from schizophrenia. He’s been charged with one count of Second Degree Murder and another count of Attempted Murder. When the sun rose, scenes of what was a fatal night were hard to miss. A white tarp tried to cover
up the front steps of the couple’s home, where a pool of blood could be seen. A defibrillator sat nearby. Splatters of blood were also noticeable on the front door of the home and siding. It was a similar scene at the neighbouring home where Sabourin allegedly ran to call for help. Because of what they witnessed that night, Sloly said many of his officers were left traumatized. “It deeply impacted the call taker who received this call — literally a dying declaration,” he said. “And it impacted every one of the members of the emergency first responders, from police, fire, to ambulance.” The police chief also described the countless resources which had to be dedicated to their investigation.
homicide
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