Funeral service honours Toronto police officer killed during investigation

Hundreds of constabulary officers, exigency responders and metropolis leaders united the fellowship of Const. Marc Pinizzoto at a funeral service for the fallen Toronto constable in Etobicoke Wednesday afternoon.

Pinizzotto’s casket, wrapped in the Canadian flag, was carried down the packed hall at Toronto Congress Centre to the dirge of a lone bagpiper, following a three-hour funeral procession that escorted his body to the service from a North York funeral home.

Pinizzotto was shot on June 11 while  carrying out a search at an apartment building  in the city's northwest as part of an investigation into multiple shootings.

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The veteran police officer, who was 43, died later in hospital. He was one of three Canadian police officers killed on duty in Canada in less than two weeks.

Pinizzotto's death hit home for all Toronto police officers, said Const. Viktor Sarudi, one of several officers gathered at the start of the procession.

"When we put on this uniform every morning and we go to work, every one of us is expecting to go home," he said. "We're brothers and sisters and when we go to work, something like this, it really is very sombre."

The man accused of shooting him, 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett, was shot and injured by police and remains in hospital.

Bennett has been charged with first-degree murder as well as offences related to two other shootings, and is due to appear in court by video next month.

Pinizzotto, who served 18 years with the Toronto Police Service, leaves behind his wife, two children, two brothers and mother and father.

"The reality of it is that Marc gave his life. He was determined to be the best he could be and do his job at maximum efficiency," she said. "It's so devastating."

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Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters she's known Linda for years and her thoughts were with the family Wednesday. She said city council would hold a moment of silence for Pinizzotto at Wednesday's meeting, and she would attend the funeral service along with a number of councillors during the recess.

Along with his dedication to his family and profession, Pinizzotto was a passionate hockey player and coach, who had captained the Oakville Blades in the Ontario Junior Hockey League and mentored kids at the Oakville Rangers hockey club. The club's president said in a statement after his death that the generation of young kids he inspired will be part of his legacy.

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The procession Wednesday morning brought Pinizzotto's casket from the Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home in North York Wednesday to the service at Toronto Congress Centre, escorted near the end by a full police marching band. Several road closures and transit detours were in effect for the three-hour procession, but have since lifted.

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