Hundreds of thousands of drivers each day cross over two southwest bridges that have been renamed after two Edmonton Police Service officers who were killed on the job a year ago.
Const. Travis Jordan, 35, and Const. Brett Ryan, 30, were killed at an apartment building near Westmount Mall on March 16, 2023.
On Monday, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen announced two bridges on the southwest leg of Anthony Henday Drive have been renamed, effectively immediately, after the officers.
“We will never forget their courage and their names. As Edmontonians cross these bridges every day, I hope that it serves as a reminder of the lasting impact and the ultimate sacrifice by these two heroes,” Dreeshen said.
On the recently widened bridge between the Cameron Heights and Terwillegar areas, the eastbound span will be named after Jordan, who was born out east in Digby, Nova Scotia.
The westbound span will be named after Ryan, who was born in Edmonton and lived in Spruce Grove.
“The dedication of these two bridges — one carrying traffic west towards Brett’s home town of Spruce Grove and one east represent Travis ties to Nova Scotia — will forever tie the two together, symbolising their enduring partnership,” said Edmonton Police Service chief Dale McFee.
“May these bridges stand as a testament to Travis and Brett’s unwavering commitment to uphold the values of justice, integrity, and selfless selflessness of which Travis and Brett so bravely stood.”
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Memorial signs with the fallen officers’ names will be posted at the ends of each bridge.
The officers were fatally shot when responding to a family domestic violence call at Baywood Apartments — a large complex of three-storey red-brick walk-ups at 114th Avenue and 132nd Street, just off Groat Road in the Inglewood neighbourhood.
The situation was described as an ambush.
The shooter was a 16-year-old boy who also shot his mother. She was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but survived. The 16-year-old died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The investigation revealed the gun used in the shooting was also used days earlier in a shooting at a nearby Pizza Hut.
Rich Albert suffered a traumatic brain injury after he was shot on the left side of his head on March 12, 2023, while helping with late-night pizza deliveries at the takeout restaurant.
Edmonton police said the motive for both shootings will likely never be known.
To honour and remember Ryan and Jordan one year after their deaths, their names were added to the EPS memorial book and a private service was held by members of the EPS.
Chief McFee said their names will be added to the memorial at Constable Ezio Faraone Park in central Edmonton.
The City of Spruce Grove announced earlier this year it will name a new hockey arena after Ryan, who lived in the community, had a love of hockey from a young age and later became a coach and mentor in the city west of Edmonton.
— With files from Caley Gibson, Global News
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