The first officer who tended to a fellow Ontario Provincial Police constable after he was fatally shot more than two years ago described in court Wednesday a "frantic" scene as he attempted life-saving measures.
OPP Const. Ryan Faust took the stand at the trial of two people accused in the death of 28-year-old Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala, who was shot on Dec. 27, 2022 while responding to a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville, Ont., near Brantford.
Randall McKenzie and Brandi Stewart-Sperry have both pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Faust told the jury trial in Cayuga, Ont., that Pierzchala was the first to respond to the report of a vehicle in a ditch around 2:30 p.m., and Faust drove to the scene as backup, calling it a "completely normal" call.
There were no reported injuries so his sirens and lights were off at that time, he said.
"But as I was waiting at the red light, dispatch came over air and she advised there was reports of an officer that had been shot," Faust testified.
Faust said dispatch identified the shot officer by Pierzchala's call sign and status checks on Pierzchala went unanswered. He turned on his lights and sirens and sped to the scene, and as he approached, he saw multiple people in the middle of the road who waved him over.
Once Faust pulled over and got out of the vehicle, he saw Pierzchala on the ground and unresponsive, he told the court.
"He appeared to be pale in colour and I just remember calling for him. I was asking the bystanders what happened," Faust testified. "They were all shouting, it was kind of a frantic scene, they said he'd been shot."
Faust testified that he began chest compressions on Pierzchala and noticed multiple gunshot wounds. Pierzchala remained unresponsive, he said.
"While I was doing my compressions, I was able to spot another entry wound in his left thigh and basically waited for ambulance. I told them that they were good to come to the scene and just continued with compressions," Faust testified.
Prosecutors played Faust's body camera footage in court. Audio heard from the footage appeared to indicate Faust telling a dispatcher, "It's confirmed shooting and suspect took off."
An agreed statement of facts read in court said paramedics were called 12 minutes after the initial call about the vehicle in the ditch. Paramedics arrived six minutes later, and Pierzchala was taken to a local hospital before being pronounced dead shortly after 4 p.m., according to the statement.
Another agreed statement of facts said Ontario's chief forensic pathologist Michael Pollanen found Pierzchala had been shot six times.
The Crown has said it is looking to prove that McKenzie was the shooter, and that Stewart-Sperry intentionally helped him.
The trial is expected to last six weeks. The court has heard from several witnesses so far, including some who had stopped at the side of the road after spotting the car in the ditch and law enforcement officials involved in the investigation.
Witness testimony is expected to continue Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2025.
Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press
