‘Everybody loved him’: mother of slain Toronto constable speaks out

The mother of Const. Marc Pinizzotto — the Toronto police veteran who was shot and killed in the line of duty last week — is speaking out.

Standing among more than 100 young hockey players that her son coached, Linda Pinizzotto says it’s clear how many lives Marc touched, and that his legacy will live on in the community.

Const. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was an 18-year veteran with the Toronto Police Service, most recently serving with the Emergency Response Task Force. He was shot during a high-stakes raid at a North York apartment, and police have arrested a 19-year-old suspect in his killing.

“His picture comes up on my cell phone, and it makes me cry a bit again, but I have to get past it because I want it to come up on my phone. I just look at it and the love just circles in your body and you’re just like, ‘Oh my god, that’s my son.’ But then I gotta do the usual press the button so it turns off before I start losing it again,” Linda said.

She joined several hundred people at an arena in Oakville last night to commemorate her son — all members of the Oakville Rangers and Burlington Eagles hockey teams and their families — all kids coached by Marc at some point in their hockey career. Many teens called it a mentorship they will never forget.

Sam Chabot, who worked with coach Marc for around five years, shared his memories of the impact Marc had on his life.

“He was one of the kindest people you’d ever meet. He lifted you up when you were down. Every time that I had a bad period — cause I’m a goalie — he would bump his forehead with mine, even though he wasn’t wearing a helmet. So it meant a lot,” Chabot said.

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“Everybody loved him because of his open personality. And he was just an amazing dad. I mean, he loves his children, my grandkids,” Linda said.

Tributes continue to pour in for the police officer, father and leader in the Halton hockey community, including on Hockey Night in Canada earlier this week.

Closer to home, the City of Mississauga is taking the first steps towards renaming a local park in Marc’s honour, not far from where he and his two brothers grew up.

“There will be benches and it’s going to be incredible. We are so blessed that they’ve offered that,” Linda said.

The mayor of Mississauga wrote in a statement: “His family has a strong, historic connection to the park,” and that, “It is important for all of us to recognize the frontline risks and daily sacrifices of our brave police officers.”

Those sacrifices are not lost on Linda, who said she hopes to use her voice to advocate against gun violence in the wake of her son’s killing.

“This was just horrendous, horrendous to lose your son like this, or anyone for that matter. We’ve got to do something about the violence, and we have to do something about supporting the police officers,” she said.

Toronto police said today the funeral will take place next Wednesday at the Toronto Congress Centre. They say the funeral is not open to the public, but people are welcome to view the procession as it travels from the funeral home in Thornhill to the convention centre.

WATCH MORE: Communities mourn the loss of Toronto Police Constable killed in line of duty