A small southwestern Manitoba town will pay tribute Sunday afternoon to an RCMP officer tragically shot to death there in the line of duty more than four decades ago.
The public is welcome in Virden, Man., for the 2 p.m. unveiling of a bridge being named in memory of Const. Dennis A. Onofrey. The bridge is located on 7th Avenue North in the community, traversing Scallion Creek.
Onofrey was killed on Jan. 23, 1978, at a hotel in the town while investigating a stolen vehicle. Two of his colleagues were wounded but survived.
The shootings set off a days-long state of emergency around the area after the gunman forced his way into a home in nearby Oak Lake and held three people hostage, according to media reports from the time.
Onofrey’s killer later died in prison.
Onofrey, 27, was survived by his pregnant wife and a young child, according to the federal government’s Canadian Virtual War Memorial. His widow is expected to attend the unveiling, said Virden Mayor Tina Williams.
Williams said the bridge is a symbol of public safety and a fitting tribute to Onofrey’s sacrifice. The small in-town connector bridge was shut for several years up until November, when critical repairs were completed.
In the weeks after Sunday’s ceremony, the dedication to Onofrey will become permanent with the installation of a street sign, bronze plaque and nearby seating area, Williams told CBC’s Radio Noon program on Friday.
People can walk to the site to sit, ponder and have their own moment of remembrance, said Williams.
“It was kind of important to us that it be a place that people would actually be able to easily stop and go to,” said Williams.
The ceremony will be held in front of the 7th Avenue North bridge at the intersection of King Street and 7th Avenue.
Tina Williams, the mayor of Virden, Man., speaks with CBC’s Radio Noon host Janet Stewart about a bridge being named in memory of Const. Dennis A. Onofrey, who was killed in the line of duty in the southwestern Manitoba community in 1978.