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Ottawa police have arrested a 19-year-old man after a school crossing guard died following a hit-and-run collision near a Barrhaven elementary school on Monday.
The crossing guard, identified by Ottawa police and a city councillor as Peter Clark, was struck by a pickup truck around 8:20 a.m. while on duty at Cedarview Road and Kennevale Drive. The intersection is near Mary Honeywell Elementary School.
The driver fled the scene. Police confirmed Tuesday morning that Clark had died as a result of the collision.
By Tuesday afternoon, police said they’d made an arrest in connection with their investigation. No charges have been announced.
“Crossing guards play a vital role in protecting children and families, standing in all conditions to ensure students can travel to and from school safely,” Ottawa police wrote in an emailed statement.
“Mr. Clark’s commitment to that responsibility reflects a service to the community that deserves our utmost respect and gratitude. This is a heartbreaking loss, and our thoughts are with the school community and all those affected.”
Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill said his wife knew Clark and offered his condolences to his family.
“Peter died in the service of his community. My sincere condolences go out to Peter’s family, friends, his colleagues at the [Ottawa Safety Council] and the families that he knew and protected day in and out,” Hill wrote on social media.
“Crossing guards are essential, caring, and dedicated members of our community, trained to keep children safe and supported in their daily journeys to school,” the Ottawa Safety Council, which recruits and trains adult crossing guards for local school boards, said in a statement.
“At this time, we are focused on supporting staff impacted by this tragedy, including arranging grief counselling resources.”
Monday was School Crossing Guard Day, the safety council said.
Investigators had said they were looking for a dark-coloured Ford F-150 pickup truck “believed to be involved” in the incident, and asked anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have dashcam footage to contact them.
“The loss of Peter Clark is being felt deeply across our city,” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said in a social media post. “This should never have happened to someone who was working to keep children safe.”
Flags at all City of Ottawa facilities will be lowered to half-mast until the day of Clark’s funeral, Sutcliffe added.
‘A very tight group’
Clint Coutts said he felt compelled to go to the collision site once he heard on the radio Tuesday that Clark had died.
A former crossing guard himself for three years, Coutts laid flowers at the scene.
“Crossing guards are a very tight group and we’re always looking out for each other,” he told CBC.
Stephanie Gorsky saw Clark every day while walking her dog around the neighbourhood.
“He would always greet me with a smile. He would always say, ‘I love your dog. Your dog is so beautiful,'” Gorsky recalled.
“[It’s] kind of super scary for the people living in the neighbourhood to think that something like this could happen.”
