This is part of my ongoing series Officer Down – in honour of police officers slain in the line of duty.
RCMP Constable Heidi Stevenson’s courage and bravery are exactly what we expect from RCMP members. She epitomized our national image of an RCMP officer, both on and off duty, and is rightfully being remembered as a hero.
On April 19, 2020, 23-year veteran Constable Heidi Stevenson answered the call of duty and fearlessly put herself in harm’s way in her attempt to stop Nova Scotia’s mass murderer.
She rammed her police cruiser into the fake RCMP vehicle driven by the killer and, in the ensuing car wreck, ended up on the wrong end of the murderer’s gun. He exited his disabled vehicle, jumped up on the hood of Constable Stevenson’s cruiser and shot her multiple times in the chest, killing her.
He then pulled her from the vehicle, took her service pistol and spare magazines and, after setting both vehicles on fire and killing another innocent passerby, continued on his murderous rampage down Nova Scotia Highway 2.
Thankfully, the killer was shot dead by RCMP members a few hours down the road. For this we can all be grateful.
In the meantime, our nation mourns a true hero of our national police force.
Lest we forget…
Every single gun control law passed in the last 40 years failed to prevent the Nova Scotia killer from illegally obtaining the guns he used to murder 22 people. Think about that while the usual ghouls dance in the blood of the victims to promote banning guns from law-abiding citizens.
Fond Memories of Heidi Stevenson
From The Journal-Pioneer:
Sarah Bass, now an RCMP constable in Newfoundland, was a third-year university student in Halifax and part of a group of four people who were about to rent a house when she met Stevenson.
“I started going on ride-alongs with her, and then I applied to the RCMP and she kept taking me,” Bass said.
“I remember asking her what speed is the speed that’s too high that she was going to write a ticket. She said, ‘I can’t write a ticket for a speed that I’ve probably driven. I don’t feel that’s very honest of me.’”
Bass, who has been a member for six years, adopted the same practice. The two officers never worked in the same detachment, but Stevenson remained a mentor.
“If I had a court trial coming up, I’d reach out to her for some advice … She was always just a Facebook message away. What makes me so sad is that I didn’t realize how much just sitting in a vehicle with her (would mean), when I wasn’t even a member. She was coaching me along.”
Heidi Stevenson’s Background
From Arbor Memorial’s obituary for Heidi Stevenson.
Born on July 11, 1971, Heidi grew up in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Known to be a smart, independent girl who always stood up for herself, Heidi was an active member of the local 4-H club and an avid reader and baker in her youth. Her parents, Avon Brophy and David Burkholder, taught her from a very young age to embrace her creativity, be open-minded and to always be herself. She carried these traits with her through life and because of them was always up for a challenge or to try something new.
Heidi graduated from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Science in 1993. Her time at Acadia was the start of many lifelong friendships and the beginning of a new interest in rugby (a sport she would later coach as part of her dedication to inspiring young girls and giving back to her community). It was also during her time at Acadia that she started a part time job with Campus Safety and Security and her passion for policing was born.
Heidi loved her chosen career. There was no doubt in her mind when she graduated from Acadia that her next step was going to be the RCMP. Reaching that goal wasn’t always easy but her incredibly strong work ethic, driven personality and resilient nature got her to exactly where she wanted to be. She held many different roles throughout her 23 years as an active member – most notably her time spent representing the RCMP across the continent as part of the Musical Ride (a job she took without even knowing how to ride a horse). She loved her time working at headquarters as a Drug Recognition expert and was especially proud of her expertise in that area and the respect the judges had for her professionalism in court. Whether it was general duty, community policing, communications or training, Heidi dedicated herself to her role, turned her colleagues into friends and was a role model for many in the communities she served.
It was “the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen” that first attracted Dean to Heidi when she worked as a High School Liaison Officer at Cole Harbour District High in 1997. Their connection was strong from the start and eventually led them to pause their careers and take a one-year leave of absence to focus on each other and teach English in Japan. Their life together has truly been filled with love, laughter and adventure. Heidi and Dean cherished their family ski trips, beach walks in Stanhope, PEI and one-hour kid-free interludes for a glass of red wine. The feel of her hand holding his, the way she called him “Hon” and the gentle pecks on the cheek she’d give as she snuck off to work in the morning will be held in Dean’s heart forever.
Even with her extensive list of accomplishments in both career and life, Heidi found her one true calling when she became a Mom. She cherished Connor and Ava and they cherished her. From birthday parties to special occasions to holidays, Heidi had a way of making everything special and fun (even if it meant cooking and decorating in the middle of the night). When she spoke of Connor and Ava her eyes lit up. When she stood next to them, she had her arms around them. When she cheered them on at hockey games, she cheered the loudest. And when she tucked them into bed at night, she always took the time to cuddle and review their day. One thing Connor and Ava always knew was just how much their mom loved them. Heidi’s grit and determination live on in Connor and her beautiful smile in Ava.
Heidi was the neighbor who waved at everyone. She was the busy parent who volunteered at the school. She was the friend who delivered cinnamon buns and homemade bread. She was the second mom to many kids who came over to play. She was the gentle smile when you needed it most. Heidi made an impact on this world and words can’t begin to express how much she will be missed.
That was a truly a lovely obituary. I just wish there wasn’t a need to have someone write it .
Couldn’t agree more, Tim.
A lot of good people are dead because this idiot couldn’t handle rejection.
I wish these morons would start at the BOTTOM of the list of people they want dead, not the top, since their ultimate goal always seems to be suicide-by-cop. It would sure save the rest of us a lot of grief and anguish if they’d grow a pair, do it themselves and leave the rest of us out of it.
All discussion on the Nova Scotia shooter focuses on the gun. In a very real sense, that is a red herring. No one wants you to question where he got the police uniform, which, unlike guns, need to more or less be the right size, have the right details and matching bits, and are not as readily available as guns. And the car: how was he able to restore the police vehicle to a such a state that it could fool anybody? Even a real cop going off the deep end could drive a nondescript vehicle while wearing civilian clothes..
Everyone may need a gun at some point, but nobody except real police (and movie costume departments) ever need real police uniforms. Ditto for motion picture car hire companies, who provide properly decked out vehicles. Did the Nova Scotia killer use blue lights on his vehicle? Lets question the really relevant stuff.
By the way, in memory of those unarmed and disarmed Nova Scotians, I am wearing my International Defensive Pistol Association hat everywhere in public. Perhaps it will help make people aware that a gun and the proper training are the best investment in personal safety one can make. When enough people do that, the gun laws will change to allow properly trained individuals to carry concealed. Like Nancy Reagan and Queen Elizabeth. – two women who don’t depend upon their personal security detail to be the last line of defence.
Well said Clive. And Chris: Touchingly appropriate eulogy on the unneccesary death of a truly special and valuable human being.
So this media photo was taken in 1971 I believe and sort me out if I am not correct. This begs me to ask why this photo and not a photo of….let me do the math here…. The media did the same thing with fallen soldiers during the Afghanistan deployments. The media is not making me feel warm and fuzzy. My message to the RCMP officers who serve our communities be strong and stay truthful, mission above self. Cheers
I have questions. Not, even slightly, meant to question the good character or dedication of Ms. Stevenson; but to clear-up some nagging holes.
First: Although any car crash has many elements of unpredictability, generally, when two vehicles of similar size and weight collide, the damage to them tends to be quite similar. Why was she unable to exit her car or draw her service arm?
Second, If she rammed the killer’s car, Heidi knew what was happening and knew the precise moment impact would happen, so I would think at least some initiative would be on her side. Why was she suddenly at such a disadvantage?
One of the problems we face right now is a plethora of questions and no answers. There are a lot of assumptions about what happened but the only thing the RCMP has said so far is their cars collided and he killed her, then set both cars on fire before continuing on his murderous rampage.
The facts will come out – not as fast as we would like – but they will come out and then we’ll know exactly what happened.
I’m not convinced that she rammed the bad guy’s car and think it may have been the other way around,This reminds me of a story some years back about a female U.S. soldier single-handedly holding off many insurgents in a firefight in Iraq that turned out to be false.I hope I’m wrong.