More than 1,300 people gathered Saturday in the Northwest Territories town of Hay River to celebrate the life of an RCMP officer slain in the line of duty.

Const. Chris Worden, 30, was gunned down three weeks ago outside an apartment complex in the small community near Great Slave Lake, 400 kilometres south of Yellowknife.

RCMP Const. Chris Worden, 30, died after being shot three times outside an apartment complex in Hay River, N.W.T., on Oct. 6.
(Courtesy of the RCMP)

The officer was found with three bullet wounds more than two hours after a witness heard several shots, according to a police affidavit. 

Emrah Bulatci was arrested six days after the shooting while hiding in an Edmonton townhouse and has been charged with first-degree murder.

Saturday's memorial service held in the town's arena drew visitors from all over the territories, as well as Alberta and Worden's hometown of Ottawa.

His widow Jodie spoke of her husband's love of the North and thanked the community for its support over the last three weeks.

She also said Hay River residents must not forget that her husband died fighting the growing problem of illegal drugs in the community.

"Chris died because of the illegal drug trade," she said. "Please don't let his death go without meaningful consequences."

Worden's colleagues told stories about his sense of humour and his ability to always stay calm under pressure, while community leaders spoke about the positive impact Worden had on Hay River.

RCMP detachments across the Northwest Territories will have pages for the public to sign their condolences until Oct. 30.

The pages will be bound into a book and sent to the RCMP's G Division headquarters, the Hay River detachment and the Worden family.

A trust fund has also been created in the name of Worden's eight-month-old daughter Alexis. Donations may be made to the Alexis Worden Trust Fund at CIBC banks.

Petitions call for tougher measures on drug-related crimes

In the wake of Worden's death, residents in Hay River are circulating two petitions calling for tougher measures to crack down on drug-related crimes.

One petition calls for the N.W.T. government to pass the proposed safer communities and neighbourhoods (SCAN) act, which died on the order paper in August.

The controversial act proposed giving government the right to seek a court order to evict people from homes where drug-dealing and bootlegging was suspected. But a number of communities and interest groups raised concerns that such legislation could strip people of their civil liberties.

"We can't afford to wait any longer for somebody else to do something else," said Hay River resident Michele Stephens, who is behind the petition. 

"We need to take charge of this situation and say, 'This is my home. I deserve to be safe.'"

A second petition calls on the territorial government to crack down on illegal activities in public housing. Residents have long said the public housing unit where Worden was found was a known drug den.