Members of the Hay River RCMP detachment and residents gathered under grey skies to remember RCMP Const. Christopher John Worden during a vigil march through downtown Hay River, Oct. 6.
More than 20 people marched with candles and roses between the Hay River Recreation Centre and the RCMP detachment to remember Worden who was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 6, 2007.
Then 30, Worden had been responding to a request for police assistance at a Woodland Avenue residence when he was later found slain in the line of duty not far from the scene.
During last week’s vigil, Commanding Officer Jamie Zettler and Mayor Kandis Jameson offered comforting remarks to those in attendance as several uniformed officers gathered with residents on Capital Drive.
Both MLAs R.J Simpson and Rocky Simpson paid their respects with residents with the laying of candles and roses at the foot of the detachment flagpole.
Zettler said the police force remembered Worden for “smiling, being positive and fun-loving” and “willing to help people and assist people no matter who they were, or where their journey may have taken them.
“He was a sheep dog, fearless when it came to protecting those who could not protect themselves,” Zettler said.
Zettler said it is important for officers and members of the public to heal together by marking the every year.
Jameson, who became emotional said that the incident should remind residents that RCMP service is dangerous and integral to the community’s safety.
“I totally believe that we need to support what you do and not a way to thank you for what you do for this community,” she said to the officers.
“This reminds us every year of what you put yourselves in front of.”