Thousands gather to pay tribute to RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien in Langley

The Langley Events Centre and streets surrounding it were filled with thousands of first responders Wednesday, as the regimental funeral for fallen Ridge Meadows RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien was held.

It was a sea of red inside the venue as officers and first responders from across B.C. gathered to say their last goodbyes to O’Brien, who was killed in the line of duty in Coquitlam last month.

O’Brien’s casket was carried by his colleagues, and was adorned with a number of white roses placed on top by mourners.

White roses on top of the casket of Ridge Meadows RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien at his regimental funeral in Langley on Oct. 4, 2023.

Stephanie Porter, a family friend, shared messages from O’Brien’s family, who described the man as someone who was “was quick to laugh and even quicker to love.”

“Rick had a pure soul, a kind, gentle demeanor, and enjoyed genuine conversation. Rick will be remembered as probably preferring to be seated at the kids table, eating cereal while watching cartoons or his beloved Detroit Red Wings,” she said on behalf of the parents of O’Brien’s wife, Nicole Longacre-O’Brien.

The casket of Ridge Meadows RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien carried by officers his regimental funeral in Langley on Oct. 4, 2023.

A heartbreaking letter penned by Nicole was read aloud by Porter. In it, O’Brien’s wife notes how they were set to take a long-awaited trip “to paradise” — one that would never happen.

“Here I am instead, sending you off to a different kind of paradise, one that I was never prepared for. How do I ever imagine life without you, when our whole life was planned around being together and watching the kids grow up, getting older, becoming grandparents, and looking forward to all the adventures we were still going to take?”

Nicole’s letter described “a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, a story-book love, a love that we both never knew existed,” adding, “I loved loving you and I love our story.”

It also described O’Brien as a loving father, one who took all three of Nicole’s children under his wing and “nurtured [his] own relationship with them.”

“For those within our communities: thank you for showing strength, vulnerability, and demonstrating to our kids that no matter how old you are, it is never too late to go after your dreams,” said Nicole’s letter.

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Ridge Meadows RCMP Chaplain Greg Dalman said while Wednesday marked another challenging day, the support for O’Brien has been overwhelming.

“This place is filled with a lot of love and huge support for all who have gathered, to lift the hearts of one another,” he said.

Throughout the sombre memorial, there were moments of levity as colleagues and friends stepped up to the mic to share their memories of O’Brien, who was 51.

Corp. Pete Westra, who was O’Brien’s field trainer, colleague, and friend, joked that as a leap-year baby, his colleague was actually 13.

“Rick loved to attend schools any chance that he got, and he cherished all the positive interactions that he had with youth. He kept a picture in his work cubby of a drawing he received from a class of kids. This clearly meant something to Rick,” he recalled.

“When we first started, it was apparent very quickly how kind and compassionate he was. He related with all clients very easily, but he had a special place in his heart for children.”

RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 21, 2023. (Courtesy Ridge Meadows RCMP)

Westra said O’Brien wanted to become a police officer “to show kids that police officers were there to help and that they could be trusted.”

Const. Ben Stephens echoed many of the heartfelt sentiments, saying O’Brien was “really young at heart.”

“But he also had a heart of gold. If you ever needed help, you could always count on him,” Stephens said. “He was genuinely happy to help and spend time with his family and friends. Rick invested so much of his time for others.”

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said he was devastated by O’Brien’s death, and outraged by it.

“Once again, a senseless act of violence has robbed us of someone who was making a difference, who was trying to make things better for all of us,” he said.

O’Brien was killed while executing a search warrant in Coquitlam on Sept. 22. Two other officers were injured, as was the suspect, who is now facing charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Related video: Ridge Meadows RCMP officer killed in line of duty in Coquitlam

Many also gathered outside the Langley Events Centre to pay their respects to O’Brien Wednesday, with a number of serving and retired officers among the crowd.

Retired West Vancouver Police Const. Jeff Palmer relates to O’Brien in a specific way, given they both entered policing in their 40s after previous careers.

“There but for simple grace could be me, it could be my family, could be my loved ones. So, when that happens, even though I’m retired as an officer now, whatever role I can play to help get members here — today I just helped transport members here — whatever role you can play to help let that family know that their broader policing family and the community, is with them.”

Palmer adds it was touching on a deep level to see the level of public support for the Ridge Meadows detachment and the larger police community following O’Brien’s death.

Born in Ottawa, O’Brien moved to B.C. and served his entire RCMP career with the Ridge Meadows detachment. He lived in Langley and leaves behind a wife and six children.

RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 21, 2023. (Courtesy: Ridge Meadows RCMP)

Members of the public also joined first responders in honouring the fallen Mountie.

It wasn’t a long trip for Betty Hewitt, who lives in the City of Langley. Given her son-in-law is an RCMP officer, she felt it was important to pay tribute to O’Brien.

“We recognize that it’s a challenging job and he puts his life on line every day that he goes to work. We feel so discouraged about what happened [to O’Brien],” she said.

“The tragedy of the police officer that they’re respecting today … Like, my wife said, six children do not have a father right now,” added Dale, Betty’s husband.

Tina Evans came to Langley from Surrey to show her support.

“I just like to show my respect for the police officer and his family and to basically say thank you to all of them. I think they deserve the support from the community because the community gets a lot support from the RCMP and I think it’s really important to show that,” she told CityNews.

Evans stood outside the LEC as the procession passed, holding up a red sign with a simple message: “Thank you.”