One Durham Regional Police recruit was killed and another is in life-threatening condition after a crash with a transport truck near the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ont., on Tuesday morning.
Crash details
At about 11:20 a.m. on July 7, 2026, two constables-in-training were traveling to the Ontario Police College when their sedan collided with a transport truck at the intersection of College Line and Imperial Road in Malahide Township, southeast of London, Ont. The driver of the transport truck was not injured.
Ontario Provincial Police responded to the scene. One occupant of the sedan was pronounced deceased, and the second was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, according to an OPP post on X. The OPP closed several roads for investigation, including Imperial Road from Ron McNeil Line to Glencolin Line and College Line from Rogers Road to Hacienda Road. No information on charges was released.
Chief's statement
Durham Regional Police Chief Peter Moreira confirmed the tragedy in a memo to officers and a public statement. “It is with profound sadness that I share news of a tragic motor-vehicle collision involving two of our new recruits earlier today while they were travelling to the Ontario Police College,” Moreira said.
In the public statement, Moreira added: “It is with deep sadness that I share that one CIT has lost their life, while the other remains in life-threatening condition. Our focus is on supporting the families of our CITs, as well as their classmates, instructors, friends and members of our service who are grieving this tragic loss. We will continue to ensure they receive the care and support they need. We ask that the public respect the privacy of the families and all those affected as they navigate this unimaginable tragedy and as notifications continue.”
Series of police tragedies
The crash is the latest in a string of police deaths this spring and summer. On April 27, OPP motorcycle Sgt. Brandon Malcolm, 33, died in a crash on Highway 401 in Cobourg. On June 9, Const. Tarun Bali of the James Bay OPP Detachment was killed while deploying a spike belt to stop a suspect who had fled custody; a suspect faces first-degree murder charges.
On June 11, Toronto Police Emergency Task Force Const. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was shot and killed during a search warrant execution in North York related to a shooting at the U.S. Consulate and Jewish targets. A suspect was charged with first-degree murder. On June 22, Montreal Police Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, was killed while stopping an active shooter in Cote-des-Neiges; the alleged shooter was shot dead by police. Benredouane was honored Tuesday with a procession in Montreal as thousands of first responders lined the streets to the Bell Centre.
Chief Moreira noted the unique tragedy of this crash: “In each of those cases, the officers were also killed in the line of duty. In this case, the officer who died and the one clinging to life had their whole careers in policing ahead of them. They were recently hired and merely on their way to the college and preparing to serve.”
