Remembering Fallen Officers and Mississauga

Constable Tarun Bali.

The news is tragic. The deaths of two police officers with local connections. Our community and our province is in mourning as we reflect on the lives lost in the service of others.

City Councils for both Brampton and Mississauga are planning to rename parks after the fallen officers – the city of Mississauga passed a motion to rename Indian Gate Park in Lorne Park after Constable Marc Pinizzotto (near where he grew up), while Brampton will look to rename a park after Constable Tarun Bali.

Constable Marc Pinizzotto.

Constable Pinizzotto, aged 43, was an 18-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service and father of two. Born and raised in Mississauga, and with strong ties to the minor hockey community in Oakville, he was killed in the line of duty on June 11, 2026. Constable Bali, aged 29, served with the Ontario Provincial Police, and was killed in the line of duty on June 9, 2026. Both are remembered for their commitments to their communities and their willingness to help those in need.

Sadly, they are not the first fallen officers to be remembered locally.

Constable Blucher Memorial Bridge Sign, 2019.

A bridge along the QEW here in Mississauga, as it passes over Dixie Road, is named in honour of OPP Constable Fred Blucher. Blucher, while serving out of Port Credit, was killed near the bridge location on the evening of September 30, 1939, as a result of his motorcycle being struck by another vehicle. He left behind a wife and young son. Both his son and his grandson followed in his footsteps and served with the OPP. The bridge was formally dedicated to the memory of Constable Blucher in 2019.

Constable Dwayne Piukkala Memorial Bridge, Meadowvale.

Another remembrance in Mississauga is a pedestrian bridge in the Meadowvale area, near Winston Churchill Boulevard and Britannia Road, that is named in honour of Constable Dwayne Piukkala. Constable Piukkala was killed while responding to a fake emergency call in the area on August 26, 1984. Constable Piukkala was 24 years old, had served with the Peel Regional Police for 3 years, and left behind a young wife. The pedestrian bridge was named in his memory in 2015.

Constable Jeffrey Northrup.

Detective-Constable Jeffrey Northrup had served as a police officer since 1999 and had served with 52 Division of the Toronto Police Service since 2008. He grew up in, and had family ties, to Mississauga. Constable Northrup was killed in the line of duty on July 2, 2021. He was 55 years old and left behind a wife and three children. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Brampton. In 2022 the City of Brampton renamed Northhampton Park to Northrup Park in his honour.

Constable Andrew Hong.

The tragic killing of Constable Andrew Hong, aged 48, took place in Mississauga. Constable Hong was a veteran of the Toronto Police Service and was killed in an ambush attack at the restaurant here in Mississauga on September 12, 2022. He left behind a wife and two children.

We remember their brave and selfless service, and also give thanks to all of those first responders and police service members who put the needs of communities they serve first.