THOUSANDS GATHER TO HONOUR SLAIN LAVAL POLICEMAN

More than 2,500 policemen and policewomen from across Quebec, Canada
and the United States descended upon the St-Vincentde- Paul Church in
Laval on March 9 to attend the moving funeral of a fellow policeman.
Laval Detective-Sergent. Daniel Tessier, 42, died in the
early-morning hours of March 2 following a raid gone wrong in Brossard.

A slow procession began at around 11:40 a.m. with thousands of police
personnel from across North America walking in silence.

The nearby College Laval auditorium was a welcome refuge for the
several hundred police who could not enter the church.

Flags greeted the casket carrying Tessier's body after it was removed
from the hearse a few minutes after 1 p.m., carried by eight
pallbearers, all colleagues. The casket was followed by Tessier's
wife, Dominique and their two daughters, Marie-Andree and Veronique.

The service got off to a poignant start when Father Claude Ritchie
invited Tessier's daughter Marie-Andree to light up 42 candles from
the flame of the Pascal candle to represent Tessier's 42 years of
life. "Daniel's death is now what reunites us today, but it is the
celebration of his life," Ritchie said.

Tessier, a 17-year veteran of the force, was known by his colleagues
as a good guy and as someone always ready to help others.

But he was also known as a caring and loving father, as per the
tribute of his daughter Veronique. "Dear Daddy, I miss you,"
Veronique said as she opened her tribute in her child-like voice.
"You were always smiling and always looked at the positive side of things.

I could fill a lake with all the tears I have cried since you left.
If I had known what was going to happen, I would have stopped you
from going to work that morning."

Former Laval police chaplain Father Raymond Gravel had known Tessier
for 16 years. He told the crowd that although it may be hard to
fathom why God let such a tragedy occur, God is now here to comfort.
"God seemed so far away, inaccessible even, the day Daniel died. But
today we are seeing the other face of God, the God able to comfort us
a God able to cry with us," Father Gravel said.

Laval police Chief Jean-Pierre Gariepy expressed his dismay at being
back at the same church twice within 15 months. "In December 2005 we
were here to honour Valerie Gignac; less than 15 months later, we are
again confronted to an officer killed in the line of duty," he said,
adding that he had received more than 1,000 emailed messages from
fellow police-men and from citizens.

He also saluted the members of the vice and narcotics squad who
conducted the raids on March 2. "You saw two of your colleagues fall
under the bullets, but you filled your mission nonetheless. That's
what Laval police officers are made of." This statement was
highlighted by the presence of Tessier's partner Stephane Forbes, who
had been shot in the arm during the raid. He had been wheeled into
the church in a hospital-issue wheelchair but insisted on standing
throughout the ceremony.

The civic funeral was peppered with many tributes by personalities
such as Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt and lieutenant-governor Lise
Thibault. However, the letter written by Tessier's wife, Dominique
Lapointe, was the most moving tribute of all. "I never thought my
heart would break in two from so much hurt and pain you were my love,
my partner, my strength," she said in a teary voice.

She said that losing her husband has taught her to appreciate each
second of her life, and that she will live by Tessier's words. "He
always said 'We have two choices in life: to let ourselves get beaten
down or to raise up our sleeves and fight.' Well I promise to fight,
for the sake of our two loves, Marie-Andree and Veronique."

Tessier's death was the second fatality of the Laval police force.

In December 2005, 25-yearold Constable Valerie Gignac was shot dead
after answering a domestic disturbance call.

The man believed to have killed Tessier, Basile Parasiris, is accused
of first-degree murder. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 16.