OPP officer killed in on-duty crash on Hwy. 401 remembered as a ‘big guy with a big heart’

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An Ontario Provincial Police officer who was killed in an on-duty motorcycle collision in Cobourg on Monday is being remembered as a “big guy with a big heart,” who was dedicated to serving the community and beloved by his colleagues.

The officer killed in the crash, 33-year-old Sgt. Brandon Malcolm, joined the provincial police force in June 2020 and served his entire career with the Northumberland Detachment.

Malcolm was also a member of the Golden Helmets precision motorcycle riding team and had served with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Prior to joining the OPP, he was a volunteer auxiliary officer with Toronto Police Service (TPS) for more than six years.

Overnight, dozens of police officers participated in a procession as Malcolm’s body was transported to the chief coroner’s office in downtown Toronto.

‘Everybody loved him’

Sean Shapiro, a retired Toronto police officer, worked alongside Malcolm at 32 Division.

“I reached out to my former partner who is still in charge of the auxiliary program at the division and he said he (Malcolm) was a big guy with a big heart who loved kids and got along with everybody. Everybody loved him and they were so proud of him,” he told CP24 on Tuesday.

“He became a sergeant with the auxiliary and went to the community policing engagement unit where he then mentored new auxiliary officers as they graduated and came there before coming to the division.”

Shapiro said that as a volunteer auxiliary officer, Malcolm regularly attended community events on behalf of the Toronto Police Service, from parades to charity fundraisers.

He said everyone at 32 Division was “very proud” of Malcolm when he left TPS to join the OPP as a frontline officer.

“He is absolutely missed. They are heartbroken,” he said.

‘He was very well considered’

In an interview with CP24 on Tuesday, former OPP Commissioner and CTV News public safety analyst Chris Lewis said Malcolm was beloved by his colleagues and his loss will be felt throughout the policing community.

“I didn’t know him personally but I had met him at various events over the years and I know that he was very well considered. So the impact on the OPP right across the organization is tremendous as well as it is on other police services,” he said.

“(Malcolm) was certainly someone that had public service in mind all his life just based on the fact that he was a voluntary auxiliary officer and then a member of our Canadian Armed Forces.”

Lewis went on to say that the loss of a police officer in an on-duty incident is always “hard to take.”

“Certainly this never gets easy. Every time I hear an officer has been killed somewhere, particularly in the OPP obviously because of my background, it just breaks my heart,” he said.

“It is one of those things that comes with the job sadly because things like this do happen but it is always very hard to take.”

Malcolm was well respected: OPP Association

On Tuesday, OPP Association President David Sabatini visited some of Malcolm’s colleague’s at the OPP’s Northumberland Detachment.

"He was a well respected officer in this region, well loved by the members. We have been here since this morning and have been able to connect with many of the members that he worked alongside and they speak glowingly of Brandon, his work ethic and what kind of man he was,“ Sabatini said.

”He wanted to serve the public and he wanted to serve this community."

Sabatini said that Malcolm’s family are currently headed to the GTA from the Maritimes.

He said that his death has been “devastating” for the entire policing community and is particularly solemn given that it comes just days ahead of an annual ceremony to mourn fallen officers at the Ontario Police Memorial at Queen’s Park.

“The tragic timing of this is awful and devastating,” he said.

Collision closed Hwy. 401 for several hours

The deadly crash happened on Monday at around 5:30 p.m. on Highway 401 eastbound near Burnham Street North in Cobourg.

The highway was closed in both directions between Highway 28 in Port Hope and Burnham Street North while a full investigation was conducted, however it reopened just after 4:30 a.m.

The circumstances surrounding the collision remain unclear and police continue to investigate.

Another investigation is also now underway for a secondary collision that occurred nearby on Highway 401 westbound and involved two police cruisers and a stopped passenger vehicle. It happened as officers were responding to the original call.

The OPP said three officers were taken to the hospital as a precaution. They have since been released and no other injuries have been reported.

With files from The Canadian Press