Slain Mountie remembered for integrity, smile
A Mountie who was recently slain in Nunavut was remembered for his infectious smile and dedication to others, as thousands attended his funeral inBrockville, Ont., on Tuesday.
Thousands of mournerslined the streets in the city and filled several churchesto pay their respects toConst. Douglas Scott, 20.
Scottwas serving intheArctic hamlet of Kimmiruton Baffin Island when he was shot while responding to a drunk driving call on Nov. 5.
Those who gave eulogies at theservice at Wall Street United Church,a short distance fromScott's hometown of Lyn,painted a picture of a mature, good-humouredyoung man who had long dreamed of becoming a police officer.
"The man we knew went to help another on the night of Nov. 5," saidConst. Jeff Henderson, one of Scott'sRCMP partners inKimmirut.
Both Henderson and another partner, Const. David Charette, also shared anecdotes that showed Scott's lighter side.
Charette recounted how Scott was asked, when he first arrived in Kimmirut, whether he was a wolf or a sheep. When asked to prove he was a wolf, Scott began howling in the office.
Henderson referred to Scott's famously constant smile when he told a story aboutsuccessfullydrivingthree polar bears out of the village in the middle of the night usingvery loud explosivedevices called bear bangers.
"It may have been the bear bangers, but I think it was all the teeth Doug showed when he was smiling that night. We had that much fun," he said, adding that Scott was known as the "cute cop" among women in Kimmirut.
Scotta 'moral compass': friend
High school friends James Slater and Dmitri Senkov recounted their days working out, riding motorcycles and going to parties with Scott. They both described him as a friend who would always listenand help ifsomeone had a problem.
"Doug was by far the most mature guy I knew our age. He was always our moral compass of the group," Slater said. "He always had a clear thought on what he wanted, he always acted with pride and respect, and he became a man faster than anyone could imagine."
Before and after the service, thousands of police and civilian mournerslined the streets and filled the grassy courtyard of the courthouse across the street from the church.
Aregimental parade of RCMP officers mounted on their iconic black steeds led kilted bagpipers and a scarletriver of officers on foot who solemnly accompanied the hearse to the church before the service.
Two nearby churches and the Brockville Arts Centre were set up with video screens to show the ceremony to overflow crowds.
Students fromThousand Islands Secondary School, which Scott attended until 2005 and where his younger brother is a Grade 11 student,formed an honour guard alongKing Street, holding small flagsin the school colour of purple. Among the students were members of the school's lacrosse team, which Scott played on while in high school.
"The whole student population is grieving his loss," she said, adding that students have been invited to sign a condolence book at the school and a scholarship willbe set up to honour Scott's memory.
"He was an extremely personable young man. He had the highest ideals, an impressive belief and value system …He always greeted us with a smile every morning," she said. "Doug was extremely focused, extremely goal-oriented and from the time he came to high school, he had a passion for policing."
'Overwhelmed with the stories'
Scott's uncle, Kingston police Staff Sgt. Chris Scott, told CBC Newsworld on Tuesday that more than 1,200 people attended an earlier wake.
"Each one's come up and shared some tidbit of their experiences with Doug," he said.
"As parents and as an uncle, you think you have a pretty good knowledge of all the great things that your son or your nephew has done, but we've been overwhelmed with the stories that have been shared with us and it helps in the healing process."
Pingoatuk Kolola, 37, is charged with first-degree murder inScott's death.