A funeral was held on Tuesday for the man accused of killing an OPP officer.
Fred Preston, 70, was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of
Const. Vu Pham, 37. He was also charged with attempted murder for
allegedly wounding another officer during the gunfight that followed.
Preston, who was wounded in the incident, was taken off life support on March 11.
The service was held in his hometown of Sundridge. Preston's friends and family say he was loved, and will be remembered for much more than one act.
“It was such a tragedy because Fred was such a family man. This is just
inconceivable,” Preston’s nephew, Don Preston said at the funeral.
“It speaks to the fact that he was completely out of his mind at that
point. It was in total contrast to how he lived his life. I’m sure had
he any inkling of the family relationship of the man he shot, he would
have never pointed the gun in his direction.”
His family has asked for any memorial donations to go to a trust fund in support of Const. Vu Pham's children. To help, go to any Scotiabank branch and make a deposit to account number 410120217921.