OPP name 18-year-old charged with 1st-degree murder of police officer near Hearst, Ont.
Posted on: Jun 10, 2026 02:25 IST | Posted by: Cbc
An 18-year-old adult male from william randolph hearst, Ont., has been officially supercharged with first-degree off after a provincial police (OPP) constable was seriously injured Tuesday during an investigation near the town and later died.
An OPP release Wednesday named Justin Veronneau as the accused in the death of Const. Tarun Bali, who'd been in the force for 2½ years.
Veronneau has also been charged with:
He's scheduled to appear in court June 24.
On Tuesday evening, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said the accused had escaped from a hospital, where he was being assessed under the Mental Health Act.
Officers were trying to apprehend him when a vehicle struck Bali, who was seriously injured and later pronounced dead.
OPP officers and a member of the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) took the accused into custody.
Bali was assigned to the Dufferin detachment in southern Ontario and had more than two years of service. Carrique said Bali had previously completed rotations in the James Bay detachment area.
Earlier, the OPP said in a release that the officers from the James Bay detachment were investigating in the Kendall Concession Road 7 and Concession Road 6 area near Hearst at around 12:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The OPP criminal investigation branch is looking into Bali's death, in conjunction with the Office of the chief coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.
Carrique said he and his fellow officers were "absolutely heartbroken" with the loss of Bali.
"I can tell you that provincial Const. Bali dreamed of being a police officer."
Carrique said he sat down with the officer's family and saw a photo of Bali when he was two years old, saluting next to a photo of a police officer.
"Const. Bali was a very well liked and respected member of [the Dufferin] detachment and of the OPP organization," he said.
"This is every police and family member's worst nightmare. It's another reminder of the dangers that our members face every day as they serve to protect the citizens of Ontario."
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