Thousands gather in Fredericton for police funeral

First responders arriving from across continent

FREDERICTON— Police officers and other first responders were arriving by the thousands — by car, on commercial flights, and even on chartered planes — de- scending on this small capital city for a regimental funeral Saturday for two of their own.

They are coming from across the continent for the service for Fredericton police constables Robb Costello and Sara Burns, who were killed responding to a shooting that also claimed the lives of civilians Donnie Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright.

The first responders were filling up Fredericton hotels or staying with colleagues, while many were also billeted out to the homes of people who have offered a room.

Const. Robb Hartlen, a member of the Kensington, P.E.I., police force whose hometown is Fredericton, organized drivers to ferry people to and from the airport. He said so many people in the grief-striken city want to do something to help.

“You don’t have to be wearing a badge to feel the loss the city is feeling. They want to do something, and this is the something that a lot of people can actually do to say they are helping out.” Aside from commercial flights, there are several charter flights whose passengers are all first responders that will arrive before the service, including one to arrive Saturday morning from Toronto, with officers from across North America.

“Even without a delay it’s going to be a real tight turnaround to get everybody in uniform and up to the muster site,” Hartlen said.