Fredericton….Thank you from the Fredericton Police Force
It is in some ways difficult to believe more than a week has passed since our city was shocked by violence few of us have ever had to live through. Four of our citizens taken from us in seemingly a blink of an eye… families’ and friends’ lives changed forever and it just doesn’t make sense.
Your police force, with assistance from the RCMP, is continuing to work hard to try and make sense of it and get the answers to what took place, and why. Your ongoing patience and understanding as we continue to work through that process is appreciated.
To the families and friends of Donald Robichaud and Bobbie Wright, I know you are hurting too. They should absolutely still be with us and it’s not fair. I have seen the messages from residents of our community to be sure Donald and Bobbie aren’t forgotten. Let me assure you that they are not and you continue to be on our minds at this terrible time.
To the residents of the Brookside Drive area who were forced to flee your homes, you have been through a horrific event that I am sure is still impacting you. I am just so happy that you are all okay. For anyone who feels this tragedy has left you feeling that you need help, the City of Fredericton has posted a list of accessible venues and services for counselling on their website at Fredericton.ca
Yesterday, we said goodbye to Cst. Robb Costello and Cst. Sara Burns at a regimental funeral attended by thousands of police officers and first responders from across Canada and the United States. Thank you to those who made the trip to Fredericton to stand shoulder to shoulder with us, to share our grief, during this difficult time. Thank you to those who came out to the public viewings to view the funeral or line the streets of our city for the Honour Parade prior to the funeral.
And thanks to all of you, the citizens of Fredericton and our neighbouring communities, for the gestures of kindness and compassion displayed all week. Thousands of people joining hands and hearts from the northside of our city to the southside to publicly show that we will not let this incident define us. Signs of support all over our community from businesses to people’s homes. The constant line of people at our police station to drop off gifts and sign support messages has been overwhelming. Those gestures have meant so much to all of our employees. You have looked after us well and I can’t begin to thank you enough.
Monday marks a new day, a day to start the healing for all of us together as a community. The abundance of flowers, cards, balloons and other gifts left outside the police station have been taken inside to be looked at and shared with our employees and with the Costello and Burns families. Fredericton Police officers will start to return to work patrolling our streets. Thank you to the municipal police forces and the RCMP who, without hesitation, offered to assist in keeping you safe to allow our people to get the time they needed to mourn and get the counselling they require.
A court date is set for next week for the man charged in the four murders. I do not know how long the court process will last but I do know many of the answers we all seek will come out as the court process moves along.
We have all been profoundly affected by what happened on August 10. I know that none of us will ever forget that day, but in memory of the four people who lost their lives, it’s time for us to heal, so that we can continue to build on their legacy. We’ve heard from the families and friends of Donald and Bobbie and how they would want to be remembered. Robb and Sara saw the best in their community and made every effort to make sure their community was safe, giving the ultimate sacrifice, their lives.
We all have a duty to grow stronger, to protect our community, to make it safe for all.
There will still be difficult moments as we move forward, but we know that we must.
On behalf of everyone at the Fredericton Police Force, thank you for showing the true character of our city, for we are all #FrederictonStrong.
Chief Leanne Fitch
Fredericton Police Force