Police funeral for OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre

Sgt. Eric Mueller, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer who was fatally shot last week, will receive a private police funeral inside the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Thursday.

Just after 2 a.m. on May 11, Mueller and two of his colleagues at the Russell County detachment were called to a home on Laval Street in the village of Bourget, Ont., after someone reported hearing a gunshot, police said.

Within minutes of their arrival, all three officers were shot by someone at the home and were taken to hospital in Ottawa. Mueller died from his injuries. 

Alain Bellefeuille, 39, has since been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

The accused is expected to appear in court on Thursday.

The police funeral starts at 11 a.m. ET Thursday and is not open to the public, according to a news release from the OPP.

A funeral procession from Clarence-Rockland to the Canadian Tire Centre is expected to start around 9 a.m., taking highways 17, 174 and 417 west to the Palladium Drive exit.

It will do a loop on Campeau and Huntmar drives to get to the funeral site around 9:50 a.m., police said. 

First responders will also line part of the route from the highway to the arena starting around 9:15 a.m. Members of the public will be allowed to stand along Palladium Drive from the arena's parking lots 4 and 5, though police said they won't be able to drive there.

Traffic on roads around the arena will be affected starting around 6 a.m., OPP said. Ottawa police told people Wednesday to expect congestion in the area and to avoid it if possible.

OPP said the city is inviting people to watch a broadcast of the service at the Bourget Community Centre at 19 Lavigne St. It will open at 10:30 a.m.

Ottawa police asking anyone choosing to watch the procession from an overpass to be safe while doing so.

Helped rescue suspect from burning vehicle

Mueller, 42, is survived by his wife and two children, according to his obituary. 

He got his start in law enforcement in 2002 as a special constable for the OPP in Ottawa.

Once he became a uniformed OPP officer in 2006, he served in Grenville and then Leeds County. He earned the rank of sergeant in 2018.

Three years earlier, he received a special citation for bravery.

"He was recognized for working with others to physically lift a burning vehicle to remove an injured suspect," according to information released by the OPP.

"He was described by his colleagues as a strong team player who could be counted on whenever necessary."

The OPP has asked for privacy both for Mueller's grieving family and the other two officers wounded in last Thursday's shooting.

OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said it's too early to discuss any potential internal review of the incident, saying the service is focused on the police funeral and supporting Mueller's family.

Police motorcade over weekend

This past weekend, a police motorcade brought Mueller's body to a funeral home in Clarence-Rockland. 

Alain Saumure was one of the residents who watched from the sidewalks along with a long line of police officers who stood at attention.

Saumure, a former bylaw officer who also signed a book of condolence, said he recently had an interaction with another of the officers injured in the shooting.

"I was speeding, but the gentleman was so nice. He gave me a warning and [it] turns out, five months later, he was involved in this shooting," said Saumure.

"That's why I'm here. Had to be here."

Road closures for the procession

Around 9 a.m., the procession is expected to start moving from a funeral home at the corner of Laurier and St. Louis streets down Laurier to connect with Highway 17 at Laporte Street.

Ottawa police are closing Huntmar between Campeau and Palladium drives at 6 a.m. At 8:45 a.m, Palladium Drive closes between Huntmar  Driveand Silver Seven Road and the Huntmar Drive closure extends down to Maple Grove Road.

The roads should reopen around 11 a.m. once the funeral begins.

It then takes that highway west onto highways 174 and 417 through Ottawa's core to Kanata, where it should exit on Palladium Drive, go north to Campeau Drive, east to Huntmar Drive, pass back over the highway and turn left onto Palladium again to get to the arena around 9:50 a.m.