A 32-year-old West Shore RCMP constable, the mother of two young boys, was killed early Tuesday when a pickup slammed into her police cruiser.
The crash happened about 3:30 a.m. at Goldstream Avenue and Peatt Road, while Const. Sarah Beckett was on duty and heading east on Goldstream.
“Paramedics were on scene shortly after and tried to revive her; however, she was pronounced deceased just after 4 a.m.,” said RCMP Chief Supt. Ray Bernoties, district commander for the RCMP on Vancouver Island.
The pickup driver is in custody and a criminal investigation into the crash is underway. [He was released on Wednesday while the investigation continues.]
Beckett had been with the RCMP since 2005 and was recently back on duty after maternity leave.
“Today is a tragic and difficult day,” an emotional Bernoties said at a news conference. “This morning I met with her family, who must now start to deal with this absolute tragedy.”
Beckett was a popular member of the RCMP who spent her entire 11-year career on Vancouver Island, including time in Port McNeill and with the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, Bernoties said.
The RCMP’s General Investigation Section is leading the criminal probe into the case, while the Saanich Police Department is looking into circumstances surrounding the crash. The involvement of the Saanich police will ensure “a degree of independence,” Bernoties said.
He said the driver of the pickup was taken to hospital for assessment but his injuries are not considered serious.
Bernoties did not comment on possible charges. “I’m going to leave that to investigators.”
Jordan Coons, who lives in a Peatt Road apartment building near Goldstream, said he was on his balcony about 3:30 a.m. having a cigarette when he heard a vehicle go by. “And all of a sudden, you hear the boom, then the screech,” he said. “So I immediately gathered my stuff together and ran down the stairs.”
Coons said he rushed to the scene and the first person he saw was the driver of the pickup, which was almost on top of the police car. The driver asked how the officer was doing, Coons said. By then, there were other officers at the scene. He said he reached in and got the truck in neutral or reverse, he wasn’t sure, and helped an officer pull it away from the car.
He then helped to open the driver’s door on the police car, which he said was jammed closed.
He said standing at the scene several hours later was “surreal.”
Reacting to the crash was simply a matter of doing “whatever you can,” Coons said. “Any decent human being would do something like that.”
Langford Mayor Stew Young said the community is in shock over Beckett’s death. “Obviously, the biggest tragedy that we’ve had in our community ever since I’ve been the mayor for 23 years,” he said. “My heart goes out to the family.
“We’re a small community and this type of thing just doesn’t happen in our community, especially on our main street like this.”
Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale issued a statement calling the death of the police officer “a stark reminder of the sacrifices and bravery of our police women and men who put themselves in harm’s way each and every day to keep our communities safe.”
Solicitor General Mike Morris, a former RCMP officer, announced the Mountie’s death in the B.C. legaislature, offering his condolences to Beckett’s family, “her workmates in the RCMP and the police in general.”
“It’s always tragic, and that’s happened too many times over my career,” Morris said. “Too many of my colleagues have died. Close personal friends of mine. And there’s no words to describe it.”
Bernoties said Beckett also leaves her husband, mother, sister and countless friends. “Right now, Sarah’s RCMP family, the police officers and employees, are beginning to realize the impact of Sarah’s loss, as well,” he said. “There are tough days ahead.”
Statement from RCMP Chief Superintendent Ray Bernoties
