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First responders, civilians line up to salute fallen Manitoulin officer Const. Marc Hovingh

People lined highway overpasses from Toronto to Sudbury to pay respects to OPP officer killed in the line of duty Nov. 19

On highway overpasses from Toronto to Sudbury, they lined up. Police, paramedics and civilians, some holding Canadian flags, all waiting as Const. Marc Hovingh’s remains, accompanied by an escort of officers, made the long journey home to Manitoulin Island.

On an overpass on Highway 69 near Sudbury, more than 50 people — again a mix of first responders and civilians — lined up to pay their respects, saluting as the hearse carrying Hovingh’s remains passed below them.

Greater Sudbury Fire Services Deputy Chief Jesse Oshell was among those who paid their respects on Monday.

 

The post-mortem examination was conducted in Toronto. Hovingh will be laid to rest on Manitoulin Island, among the communities he served for decades.

 

Hovingh, who spent a large part of his youth in Barrie and attended Timothy Christian School, died Nov. 19 after being fatally shot during a police interaction related to a property dispute in Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island. Another person at the scene, a 60-year-old man named Gary Brohman, also died as a result.

Soon after arriving, officers located the man — who was inside a trailer — and there was "an interaction." At around 11 a.m., there was an exchange of gunfire between Hovingh and the man, resulting in both men being shot. They were transported to hospital where both succumbed to their injuries.

The province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) continues to probe the incident to determine what transpired during the call.

Hovingh and his family left Barrie before he finished high school. He went on to a 28-year career with the OPP before his death.