Father-to-be and 'snow angel': Edmonton officers shot and killed on duty remembered
One of the police officers killed in Edmonton was about to be a father for the first time and the other was called a “snow angel” for going beyond the call of duty to help people.
Const. Brett Ryan, 30, and Const. Travis Jordan, 35, were fatally shot responding to a domestic violence call early Thursday morning.
Ryan, who had been with the Edmonton force for 5 1/2 years, is being remembered as a pillar of the community and a longtime minor hockey referee.
Darcy Carter, with the Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association, said Ryan and his wife are expecting their first child.
“I was alongside him growing up as he grew as an official and grew into a person and a husband," Carter said.
Ryan, who lived in Spruce Grove just west of Edmonton, was always willing to give back, helping younger hockey officials develop their skills, Carter said. The officer was also active in the slow pitch community.
Ryan was a paramedic before he became a police officer, Carter said, adding that his friend was passionate about his work and his duty to serve the community.
"That’s something that I’ll never forget … just his face lighting up when he talked about his job," Carter said.
The Alberta Paramedic Association said Ryan served as a paramedic with Medavie Health Services in Saddle Lake, Alta., from 2012 to 2015.
"Throughout his career, helping others was the focus of all his roles," a statement from the association reads.
Ryan is survived by his wife Ashley Ryan, who is a paramedic, it said.
Garett Ryan wrote on Twitter that he's proud of his brother.
"Words cannot describe how much I love my big little brother," he wrote. "I am so proud of him, his accomplishments, and the man he has become. I'll miss him always."
Jordan had been with the Edmonton force for 8 1/2 years.
He grew up in Nova Scotia and his family still lives in the province. Nova Scotia RCMP organized a memorial procession, which also included numerous officers from the Kentville Police Service and military police, to drive through Coldbrook to honour the officer and his family Thursday afternoon.
Jessica Shmigelsky remembered Jordan as being calm and kind when she really needed to see the goodness in people. She said his family gave her permission to speak about the experience.
Shmigelsky’s day was going terribly when she met Jordan in Edmonton 2020. There had been a heavy spring snowfall, her snow brush was broken and she was having a difficult day at work.
Jordan pulled her over for having too much snow on her vehicle, she said, but instead of giving her a ticket he grabbed his own snow brush and proceeded to clean off her car.
Jessica Shmigelsky and Const. Travis Jordan in 2020. (Credit: Jessica Shmigelsky)
"It was a very lighthearted interaction. It wasn't what I was expecting it to be," she said, adding it was like talking with a big brother.
She didn’t get the officer’s name at the time but posted about the encounter online, where he quickly was nicknamed a “snow angel.” Jordan’s sister in Nova Scotia saw the post and connected the officer and Shmigelsky.
Jordan asked to meet up and Shmigelsky and gave her a new snow brush. It’s the one she still uses.
“He did his job and he did more than what his job really entailed.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, is diagnosed with skin cancer
American gamer and Twitch superstar, Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters
The federal government will create a new 'Canadian Renters' Bill of Rights,' which would require landlords to disclose their properties' rental price history to prospective tenants.